European Spa magazine - Autumn 2022 Issue

GREEK ODYSSEY

ADVANCED BEAUTY TECHNOLOGY

The re-evolution of needle-free mesotherapy

Mesoboost is an Electroporation Transdermal Meso-Chip system which opens tens of thousands of reversible micro channels in the epidermis to deliver high rates of active ingredients to the dermis efficiently, quickly and painlessly.

germaine-de-capuccini.com

www.germaine-de-capuccini.co.uk/esel

Take a fresh perspective

Welcome to our fabulous autumn edition, which is packed with the latest spas, product launches and expert advice to help your business run more successfully. Bringing you the inside track on new spa developments, we talk to the team behind the stunning KĒPOS by Goco in Crete (p14), and go on a whistlestop tour of ten new and refurbished spas (p88).

Highlighting the power of spa partnerships and creative concepts, I try out the reimagined treatment menu at the Waldorf Astoria Spa – The Caledonian in Edinburgh (p42). And there’s more wellbeing magic from WOMAD Spa (p108), which pops up annually at one of the UK’s most iconic festivals, thanks to Thirteen33’s team of dedicated therapists.

This issue we welcome wellbeing expert Ian Bell, who joins us to flag up the warning signs of compassion fatigue (p38). In addition, public relations specialist Tracey Stapleton offers seven ways to achieve your Q4 marketing goals (p64).

As well as bringing you the very best autumn product launches in Menu (p29), we help you to prepare for one of the most important periods on the spa calendar with our Guide to Festive Retailing (p74). More invaluable advice is available in our Expert Guide to Treatment Couches (p66), with Spa Style innovations (p116) and the latest trends in the world of Wellness (p122) aiming to bring you a fresh perspective on the industry.

We hope you have a magical autumn and would love to hear your feedback as well as any exciting news from wherever you are in the spa world. Stay well.

Sarah Camilleri Founding editor & publisher sarah.camilleri@spapublishing.com

Image: an aerial yoga class at KĒPOS by Goco on the Greek island of Crete

Welcome in The

of Wellness

Meet the team

European Spa is the essential magazine for spa business and wellness leaders

Sarah Camilleri

Founding editor & publisher

A respected magazine editor with 30 years’ experience, Sarah founded European Spa in 2007 to help the spa industry grow and flourish. An influential voice in the global wellness community, she serves on the advisory board of the British Beauty Council and supports the Global Wellness Institute’s Living Well From Within coalition.

Mark Smith

Beauty and wellness editor

A well travelled and influential spa writer, Mark has contributed beauty and wellness news to European Spa for many years. He also regularly visits spas to interview experts in their field, and contributes weekly online brand news to europeanspamagazine.com. Mark recently launched his Kalm Horizons meditation concept.

David Fagan Production editor

Having been with us for ten years, our production and sub-editor David helps keep everyone’s print and online copy on track and word-perfect. In this issue he has delved into the world of treatment couches to compile our Expert Guide, which offers advice from leading brands on what to look for in your next purchase.

With thanks to our expert contributors...

On the cover: KĒPOS by Goco, Crete

Founding editor & publisher

Sarah Camilleri sarah.camilleri@spapublishing.com

Beauty and wellness editor

Mark Smith mark.smith@spapublishing.com

News editor

Lauren Heath-Jones lauren.hj@spapublishing.com

Art director Richard Page richard@spapublishing.com

Production editor David Fagan david.fagan@spapublishing.com

Subscriptions manager Angela Sharpe subscribe@spapublishing.com

Wendy Golledge Wellness journalist

A dedicated spa and wellness reporter, in this issue Wendy provides a run-down of the ten best recent spa openings, celebrating the innovation and dedication they are bringing to revitalise the industry. She also puts together our Spa Style section, full of the latest designs and technologies to enhance your business offering.

Tracey Stapleton Marketing and PR expert

A regular contributor to European Spa, marketing and PR specialist Tracey is managing director of The Spa PR Company, which offers a targeted range of PR and marketing services to spa, hotel, beauty and wellbeing brands. On p64 she lists seven ways to accomplish your business’s Q4 marketing goals.

Ian Bell Wellness expert

A highly experienced spa and wellness professional, Ian was the opening manager for Aman Spas at Amanpuri and has designed and opened spas for some of the biggest hospitality brands. In this issue he writes about the increase in compassion fatigue among spa professionals and offers advice on how to deal with it.

Accounts manager Julie Jones accounts@spapublishing.com

Spa Publishing Ltd

Registered in England. Company No. 6293825

42 88 66

KĒPOS by Goco (p14) is a haven of serenity on Crete that combines modern health enhancement with a traditional take on wellness

SPA SPOTLIGHT

14

KĒPOS BY GOCO, CRETE

Located in the beautiful surroundings of Daios Cove, the recently refurbished spa offers a new wellbeing concept that aims to help guests to embrace an integrative lifestyle beyond their stay

42 WALDORF ASTORIA SPA, SCOTLAND

New brand partnerships with Ground Wellbeing and 111Skin have proven to be game-changing for the spa at Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian as it launches its new urban offering

88

TEN OF THE BEST NEW SPA OPENINGS

As the take-up of spa services continues to rise, we celebrate the excellence and innovation at some of the leading new properties that have boldly invested in unique experiences

108 WOMAD SPA, UK

European Spa sets up camp at the unique pop-up experience created by wellness consultancy Thirteen33 each year at the world famous music event in Wiltshire

EXPERT ADVICE

38 DO YOUR THERAPISTS HAVE COMPASSION FATIGUE?

Spa consultant and wellbeing expert Ian Bell outlines the causes and effects of compassion fatigue in spa professionals, and how to guard against it

64 SEVEN TIPS TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR Q4 MARKETING GOALS

Tracey Stapleton offers advice on how to go about pumping up your business’s presence and ultimately its profits through targeted end-of-year campaigns

66

EXPERT GUIDE TO TREATMENT COUCHES

To help you make the best-informed decisions when it comes to upgrading your treatment room furniture, we ask experts from leading brands, LEMI, Gharieni and Living Earth

Crafts for their advice on what makes the ideal treatment couch purchase

FESTIVE RETAILING

Our guide to making the most of the revenue boost that the festive period can offer includes the latest gift sets and advice from leading brands

ISSUE 85 | AUTUMN 2022

BRANDS TO WATCH

26

SWISSLINE: A MOMENT OF SELF-CARE

The renowned Swiss brand has teamed up with UK facialist Abigail James to create a bespoke facial ritual that incorporates two of its new products

40

GROWN ALCHEMIST: THE ALCHEMY OF SKINCARE

Co-founder Jeremy Muijs and Harrison Gregory, general manager, UK and EMEA, discuss the science-led skincare brand’s growth and what it can bring to the luxury spa market

50 MURAD: ALL ABOUT THE EYES

We find out how Murad’s innovative new Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Masks harness the power of retinol to tackle fine lines and puffiness, leaving the eyes looking ultra-refreshed

52

EIGHT OF THE BEST SUPER SERUMS

Now an integral part of modern skincare regimes, European Spa highlights eight of the best serums available to super-charge your clients’ skin

SPA SPECIFIER

29

MENU

62

IYASHI DÔME: RESULTS BACKED BY SCIENCE

We look into the clinical trials that have proven the many varied benefits of the Japanese-inspired brand’s infratherapy treatments to help with weight-loss, detox and skin health

Our round-up of the best new product and treatment launches includes skincare innovations from Sothys, Dermalogica, Swissline by Dermalab, Bamford, Mii, Carol Joy London, Murad, TempleSpa, The Organic Pharmacy, Natural Spa Factory and Natura Bissé

116

SPA STYLE

A selection of the latest stylish equipment and leading-edge technology available for your spa, including Soleum Spa’s Sea Climate Chamber, an innovative yoga mat from Liforme, the Opatra facial skin analyser and designer Tom Raffield’s beautiful handmade Tilow lighting collection

122 WELLNESS MATTERS

We shine a light on the trends and modalities making waves in the world of wellness, with a focus on the booming market for functional beverages incorporating adaptogens and CBD among other health-boosting ingredients

European Spa magazine is published by Spa Publishing Ltd. The Publisher has taken all reasonable measures to ensure the information detailed in European Spa magazine is correct at the time of publishing, and while every care is taken to avoid inaccuracies the Publisher does not accept responsibility for any errors or omissions from any information within this edition. Views expressed in European Spa are not necessarily those of the Publisher or Spa Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved, reproduction in whole or part without the Publisher’s permission is strictly prohibited. © Spa Publishing Ltd

Spa Spotlight KĒPOS by Goco, Crete

A Greek odyssey

We talk to the team at KĒPOS by Goco, in Daios Cove, Crete about their approach to luxury and integrative wellness

REPORT BY MARK SMITH

Daios Cove is a stunning resort in eastern Crete, and home to the new KĒPOS by Goco integrative wellness concept. Situated in a private bay near the town of Agios Nikolaos, the property features a beautiful beach and 290 rooms, suites and villas with sea views, offering guests a family-friendly holiday with a cool and sophisticated vibe.

While visitors are predominately from the UK and Germany, Spanish, Italian, Swiss, Austrian and American wellness seekers are also drawn to a varied offering that as well as water sports, a kids’ club, visiting DJs and world-class restaurants and bars, includes a sumptuous spa.

In operation since the resort opened in 2010, the spa has been managed by GOCO Hospitality since 2018, exceeding expectations by doubling in revenue and capture rates. This year a refurbishment of the spa led to the creation of KĒPOS by Goco. With an investment of over £2 million, the project has been designed to attract new guests and extend opening times at the resort by one month on either side of summer.

All-round wellness

The spa’s redevelopment story began in 2018 when Daios Cove’s owner, Dimitris Daios, spoke with Ingo Schweder, founder and CEO of GOCO Hospitality, about his vision to create a new wellbeing concept that included a total renovation of the facility and the launch of a new integrative health concept.

“The Daios Cove philosophy has always been that anyone who

visits the Cove is encompassed in a sense of wellness all around,” says Daios. “This is the case through the various offerings within the resort incorporating art, gastronomy, health and bespoke experiences. KĒPOS by Goco – our brand-new pioneering hub of wellbeing – delivers a whole new layer to our philosophy.”

Taken from the Greek word for a ‘garden, oasis or sanctuary’ KĒPOS by Goco is inspired by the garden in ancient Athens, where the philosopher Epicurus read and taught the art of wellbeing and happiness. Taking a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, the concept is led by an onsite doctor and nutritionist who have access to innovative diagnostic technologies, the latest wellness therapies and transformative fitness from BXR London.

The philosophy is about catering to current guests but also reaching new ones, says Nichola Roche, director of spa and wellness at GOCO Hospitality. “The whole concept in a nutshell is about embracing an integrative lifestyle, making a difference long-term, retaining our guests who have been coming to us for years, but also tapping into new markets,” she says.

The resort is also seeking to extend its high season by two months to cater for new guests who are seeking transformational wellness experiences while taking a family holiday.

Below: an aerial yoga session in the spa's Mind and Body studio

Total transformation

The existing spa at Daios Cove was taken back to its brickwork for a total refurb that took six months. It included the creation of a new arrival and reception area, changing rooms and a mind and body studio that transformed an under-utilised space into a multifunctional room with stunning sea views. A wellness reception, a new contemporary retail area and consultation rooms for the doctor and nutritionist were added. A luxurious guest waiting area and an elegant relaxation/IV lounge for vitamin infusions also formed part of the redevelopment. The vitality pool area was remodelled and the spa’s treatment rooms were fully refurbished.

Spa Spotlight KĒPOS by Goco, Crete

“Cryotherapy is great for muscle recovery and reducing inflammation. Many guests are choosing to use our chamber. There is a great understanding of the benefits.”

Eleni Papadopoulou Director of wellness, KĒPOS by Goco

Spotlight KĒPOS by Goco, Crete

Left from top: earthy tones in one of the two double wellness suites; the outdoor pool overlooking Daios Cove

Partnering with BXR London, the new development added a BXR Gym, an outdoor functional area and BXR Arena outdoor training area. Other high-tech wellness facilities were added during this phase, including an infrared sauna, a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a cryotherapy chamber and diagnostic equipment from Pnoē, and a Styku 3D body scanner.

These facilities complement the existing indoor pool and hammam, plus a colon hydrotherapy room, Finnish and soft saunas, a steam room and an experience shower walk. The space also features a hairdressing salon, a manicure and pedicure area, nine private single multifunctional treatment rooms, two double wellness suites and a double Thai massage suite.

The facilities have all been staged to reflect their unique location by lead designer Elastic Architects, using earthy tones to reflect a golden light through the spa. Soft furnishings boast an array of natural textiles and textures, while native materials have been used to create a unique sense of place, with Greek wood and stone displayed to stunning effect.

Hyperbarics and cryotherapy

The new spa and approach was opened to guests in April 2022 after the pandemic delayed the start of work in early 2020. This gave the team more time to enhance and update the offering, especially in response to guests’ changing needs, which reflected an increased demand for wellness post-lockdown.

For example, Schweder explains, the hyperbaric oxygen chamber was not part of the original offering. “It is a very expensive piece of equipment, and in 2018 I wasn’t sure if it would work here,” he says. “But the pandemic opened up a much wider understanding of the general public to participate in more serious programmes.”

Hyperbaric chambers increase the uptake of oxygen in the body, enhancing blood flow and circulation, and helping to create new white blood cells and trigger collagen growth. This therapy is non-invasive and involves breathing 100 per cent pure oxygen in a pressurised environment three to five times higher than that found at sea level for around 45 minutes.

Cryotherapy has also proved to be a popular addition to the new wellness programmes, according to director of wellness, Eleni Papadopoulou. “If someone goes to the gym or exercises every day, cryotherapy is great for muscle recovery and reducing inflammation,” she says. “Many guests are choosing to use it. When we had the BXR retreat, everyone went in there. There is great

Spa

Right from top: the spa's infrared sauna; the treatment menu offers guests a selection of classic and alternative facials and body rituals

understanding of the benefits of cryotherapy.”

Cryotherapy is a regenerative therapy that is said to stimulate the body to self-heal as blood vessels constrict and dilate following exposure to an extremely cold environment (-85C) for up to three minutes. In addition to boosting the immune system, enhancing athletic performance and providing beauty and anti-ageing benefits, cryotherapy can support the rejuvenation process by providing a rush of endorphins that helps to increase focus and improve mood.

Medical-led integrative health

The spa’s high-tech systems are overseen by resident doctor Masoud Fawzi and wellness consultant and nutritionist George Fokas. However, KĒPOS by Goco is, by its very nature, quite different from a traditional medical wellness facility and while the pair do wear white coats, their style is personable, warm and friendly. The surroundings are modern and clinical but designed with elegance and style. There is a seamless blend of high-tech and high-touch treatments.

All of the programming at the spa is based around six pillars of healing that include care, movement,

From holiday to health

The programmes at KĒPOS by Goco have been designed so that guests who are coming for something of a traditional family holiday are able to embrace and enhance their wellness at the same time. And from our experience so far – this is exactly what they are doing.

There are many variations on this approach, whether people come and take part in an intensive one-day itinerary or join a targeted programme for three days and then enjoy the last four days of their holiday, or simply mix it up as they wish.

We believe our diagnostic facilities are helping our guests to make long-term changes, because they’re learning how to sleep better and how to eat better in relation

to their metabolic rate results. If somebody’s giving you three days or giving you seven or 14 days, you have to deliver on this with results, because that’s a lot of time they have given you and time is such a precious, precious commodity.

We allow people to come here and still enjoy all of the fruits of the vine and the food of the land, and this changes the landscape for wellness in this part of the world. We believe it sets a new benchmark where people don’t have to choose one or the other, they can do both. We want it to be a joyful experience too, then they can take it away with them. Whatever they learn here, they can continue to do at home, and there’s longevity in that.

www.gocohospitality.com

Spa Spotlight KĒPOS by Goco, Crete

Nichola Roche, director of spa and wellness at GOCO Hospitality, explains how guests can holiday with their family and immerse themselves in wellness at KĒPOS by Goco

HIGH-END PERSONALIZED BEAUTY CARE

For 45 years, the Biologique Recherche Methodology has a reputation of expertise based on a clinical and personalized approach in their beauty treatments. Using pure, concentrated and active ingredients within their products, as well as innovative protocols and specific manual techniques adapted to the different Skin Instants© it offers the best solution to building better skins.

CONTACT US

Biologique Recherche - 32 avenue des Champs-Élysées - 75008 Paris - www.biologique-recherche.com

Right from top: relaxation loungers line the indoor vitality pool; the light and airy reception area; a hyperbaric oxygen chamber enhances blood flow, improving circulation and skin health

nourishment, rest, treatment and bathing.

‘Care’ addresses the skincare concerns of each guest, while ‘movement’ combines a training consultation and cutting-edge diagnostics to create a custom-made plan for guests, varying in intensity depending on need. Nutritionally, guests are offered a healthy Mediterranean diet, freshly prepared using local ingredients. To enhance this, all of the resort's à la carte restaurants boast a selection of specifically targeted wellness dishes curated by chef and holistic specialist Sarah Safarian.

For guests struggling with restful sleep, the rooms and villas onsite are designed to promote healthy slumber and spa therapies can link into this. 'Treatments' are a core element of the wellness programming while 'bathing' rituals are evident throughout the entire wellness facility and designed into each guest journey.

Transformative programmes

The spa’s programmes are highly personalised, allowing each guest to explore a series of modalities for total transformation, or to dip in and out to suit their current lifestyle needs.

All journeys begin with a consultation to understand the guest’s physical state and discuss their individual needs and objectives. These feature specialised diagnostic sessions that aim to give the client (and team) an overview of the current state of health of each guest.

The team can prepare a strict dietary regime if needed, partnered with exercise, movement, high-tech solutions and more traditional spa treatments from incumbent brands 111SKIN and [comfort zone]. “We can literally personalise the experience to whatever the guest needs,” says Roche. “We’re not dictating rituals. There is no black-and-white in what we are offering, and it has to be like this.”

Diagnostics at a cellular level

Today’s wellness guests are well informed when it comes to health data, with many tracking elements of their physical and mental wellbeing through apps that measure everything from heart rate to steps and calorific intake. This is integral to the approach at KĒPOS by Goco, says Schweder: “Technology, which is very precise and very personalised, ensures a treatment programme and journey that’s actually very intuitive.”

Spa Spotlight KĒPOS by Goco, Crete

www.esseskincare.co.uk

Spotlight KĒPOS by Goco, Crete

Some simple, but informative tests can measure metabolism, fat-to-weight ratios, body composition, lung fitness and cellular health. They are designed to give an overall picture of a guest’s health at that time and will set achievable goals and define the parameters of the programme during the stay.

The three key diagnostic and consultation elements include the Styku 3D body scanner, which uses an advanced Microsoft Kinect V2 infrared camera to analyse key points of the body to provide exact measurements of the body’s fat, muscle percentages and overall physical status.

A non-invasive Cell Wellbeing epigenetic test uses the cutting-edge technology of the Cell Wellbeing S-Drive, to gather a deeper understanding of the body’s systems. This 15-minute process generates a comprehensive

report, including a detailed analysis of the client’s cellular health. This can profile toxins that may arise from other lifestyle factors that aren’t related to diet, such as the presence of aluminium perhaps derived from the use of anti-perspirants.

The Pnoē breath analysis system provides an overview of nutrition, training and metabolic health. Recording the breath, it gives a detailed overview of current lung function and fitness and offers ways to improve it. Lung health is one of the key indicators of overall health, with tailored breathwork practices said to be able to lower blood pressure, improving cognitive ability and managing stress.

Armed with these unique profiles, both the doctor and nutritionist will adapt the wellness journey accordingly, adding elements to address key concerns.

Creating a sense of place for authentic wellness journeys

Ingo Schweder, founder and CEO of GOCO Hospitality, talks exclusively to European Spa about the

unique concept that awaits guests at KĒPOS by Goco

Founded in Bangkok, Thailand in 2008, GOCO Hospitality is a consulting and management company that specialises in the development and ongoing management of wellness centres, resorts and spas around the world.

Founder Ingo Schweder owns and manages Glen Ivy Hot Springs in southern California, the United States’ oldest and highest-grossing hot spring resort. He was formerly a board member of Mandarin Oriental and corporate director of operations for Oberoi Hotels & Resorts. His 40 years’ experience includes taking more than 400 projects worth over $3.5 billion (£3 billion/ €3.5 billion) across 42 countries to profitable realisation and on-going management.

How did the concept for KĒPOS by Goco come about?

Dimitris Daios, the owner, said to me that every hotel has a beach, a café, a dining room, even a sauna or a tennis court or gym – but many Greek hotels don’t offer real wellness in a modern setting. This really is about much more than including these various elements and that’s where the future is.

The pandemic has facilitated a conscious change and has seen a wider awareness of what needs to

be done preventively – going further into diagnostic analysis and serious programmes to work on a more balanced lifestyle – and that is what the concept here will do.

How do you realise this vision?

You need to identify your market, look at who your target is and decide how to bring together the equipment, design, journeys and products. The interpretation needs to be commensurate with the positioning of the resort and its surroundings. We have created a sense of place, delivering a Greek wellness journey aligned with the culture and the authenticity of the location.

Is KĒPOS by Goco a blueprint for future developments?

I honestly believe that the market should be more democratic with a wider appeal to penetrate and share the goodness of wellness with more people. For that you need a product that can seamlessly integrate into a luxury lifestyle and that’s what we did.

I’m happy with the guest feedback as it confirms that what we did there really fits like a glove for what is needed right now. www.gocohospitality.com

Spa

Below: the spa has partnered with BXR London to provide functional and personal training equipment and classes, as well as fitness retreats

The targeted consultations can also set aims and objectives for life beyond the resort when people return home from their stay.

The perfect touch

By partnering with world-class wellness and skincare brands [comfort zone] and 111SKIN, KĒPOS by Goco sets itself apart at the forefront of wellness in the region. Massage remains the most in-demand treatment at the spa and the spa menu boasts traditional Thai as well as a full spectrum of modalities including aromatherapy, energising, volcanic stones, back, neck, shoulder, feet and pre and post-natal.

Treatments also include classic and alternative therapeutic facials and body rituals to support guests’ overall wellbeing, together with a collection of unique signature rituals including a 90-minute journey developed by 111SKIN that includes body exfoliation, cryotherapy and LED red light. A signature hammam experience in the private spa suite draws on eastern traditions to deliver a totally rejuvenating treatment.

Movement in motion

When looking for a new fitness concept for the wellness offering at Daios Cove, the team settled on BXR London, said to be the world’s first high-end boxing gym. Launched in London in 2017, the company offers a wide array of fitness services, including a range of combat disciplines, strength and conditioning, boxing, circuit training and group classes. BXR London focuses on developing a ‘championship mindset’, by offering the highest standards of training and advice from

professional athletes, regardless of the level of ability and fitness of the clients.

The BXR Programme includes functional training, personal training and BXR Retreats with visiting coaches and trainers combining activities such as jogging, running and hiking. The team also oversees the yoga, aerial yoga, Pilates, Gyrokinesis, Aqua Reax and circuit training classes.

An integral part of the whole wellness concept at Daios Cove, the team takes a truly personalised approach to movement that ensures guests are treated as individuals. This holistic approach to wellness offered at KĒPOS by Goco has proved a hit with new and returning guests.

“The crafted 360-degree wellbeing offering at KĒPOS by Goco has dramatically improved the overall guest experience whether one is wellness orientated or not,” says Daios. “In its opening season, KĒPOS by Goco has attracted guests from across the board, which is proof that there is a universal need to connect to our sense of wellbeing and to thrive more than ever before.”

Spa Spotlight KĒPOS by Goco, Crete

KĒPOS

Left from top: a peaceful moment taking in the view from the indoor leisure pool; restful cabanas lined up by the spa's vitality pool

SPA STATISTICS

KĒPOS by Goco

www.daioscovecrete.com

Owner: Dimitris Daios

General manager: George Brilakis

Director of wellness: Eleni Papadopoulou

Founder and CEO, GOCO Hospitality: Ingo Schweder

Director spa and wellness, GOCO Hospitality: Nichola Roche

Lead designers: Elastic Architects

Spa size: 2,620sqm

Spa team: 20

Treatment rooms: Nine single multi-function treatment rooms, two double wellness suites, one private Hammam suite with steam room and one double Thai massage suite.

Uniforms: Extra Unitex Slippers: Salvini

Pool, sauna, steam room: Barr+Wray Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber: Oxyhelp Cryotherapy: MecoTec

Yoga equipment: Salachi and Manduka Treatment room equipment and beds: Gharieni

Loungers and soft furnishings: Almeco IV lounge and relaxation lounge furniture: Deloudis

Gym equipment: BXR London, Life Fitness, Technogym, Rogue Fitness Europe

Diagnostic systems: Pnoē, Styku, Cell Wellbeing

Specialist facial equipment: Dr. Pen Dermapen, High Frequency device

Product suppliers: 111SKIN, [comfort zone], Authentic Beauty Concept

Spa Spotlight

by Goco, Crete

A moment of self-care

Swissline

Launched in Switzerland in 1989, Swissline develops products that work with the skin, not against it. Renowned for its collagen expertise, the brand’s Cell Shock range incorporates marine collagen, collagen boosting peptides and mimetic growth factors clinically proven to improve density, plumpness and reduce lines. Its professional facial treatments include 92% pure collagen, an industry record.

Targeted collagen renewal

New for autumn 2022, Swissline’s Collagen Balm-Cleanser incorporates marine collagen, soy proteins and a trio

of amino acids. An ideal consistency for facial massage, the cleanser removes makeup and pollutants without stripping the skin. Also new, Luxe-Lift Night Cream ensures deep skin-cell replenishment while users sleep. It lifts mature, dry skin with hydrolysed marine collagen and is the first Cell Shock cream to include a messenger peptide, palmitoyl tripeptide-1, specifically targeted for collagen renewal.

A bespoke ritual

In conjunction with these launches, Swissline has partnered with renowned UK facialist Abigail James, who has

created a bespoke facial ritual to extend spa treatment benefits and offer an authentic at-home spa experience.

Incorporating three Cell Shock products – Collagen Balm Cleanser, Luxe-Lift Night Cream and Facial Boosting-Essence – Swissline has created a step-by-step video showcasing James’s bespoke regimen, which will debut on its website, social media and training app at the end of September. We asked Abigail James about the project.

What are the benefits of this facial ritual? This represents a moment of self-care that, without exception, all of us would

Brands to Watch Swissline promotion

has teamed up with renowned UK facialist Abigail James to create a bespoke facial ritual incorporating its two new products

benefit from. Our lives are increasingly chaotic and I believe having nurturing time for ourselves is vital for our emotional balance and reducing stress. The fact this ritual uses Swissline’s Collagen Balm-Cleanser means it’s not an extra chore, it’s just part of what you’d do already. Whether people do the full ritual or just pick out some of the moves, it’ll have a positive effect.

What impact does self-care and therapeutic touch have on skin health?

The physical impact of massage on your skin – easing muscle tension, supporting the lymph system – and what that does to your nerve receptors is so beneficial. This ritual stimulates blood flow and rejuvenates. Because Swissline’s products all have a high-end, luxurious feel it’s easy to lose yourself in the ritual and switch off. Whether it’s for two minutes or ten doesn’t matter, I’m all about fitting it in when it fits in.

Brands to Watch Swissline promotion

Why is collagen such a standout ingredient in facial treatments?

Collagen is a brilliant plumper and hydrator. Over the last decade we’ve all become familiar with hyaluronic acid, but collagen is equally amazing for immediate rejuvenation and hydration. It’s a key ingredient for supporting skin regeneration.

Tell us about your 360-degree approach to skin wellness?

There isn’t one magic trick for good skin, it’s a whole-body approach. We really are what we eat, our diet makes up the cells in our bodies, so that has to be included in our skin’s wellbeing. Then there’s physical activity – moving our body creates good blood flow and muscle tone, helping prevent dull and sluggish skin.

Caring for our mental health is also essential for our skin. If something embarrasses you, you blush in a millisecond – that’s how physically

connected our minds are to our skin – so think about the impact of stress.

Never underestimate the power of a good face massage. Therapists’ hand skills can’t be beaten. And of course, there are skincare products and how we apply them. It’s about finding things in the whole spectrum that work for you and become part of your life.

Swissline’s global brand director, Custodio d’Avo, will host an IG Live with Abigail James on September 20 at 7pm GMT.

Swissline is available at medi-spas, medical clinics and five-star resorts in 30 countries, including properties from The Bürgenstock Selection, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, Canyon Ranch, St Regis Hotels and Shangri-la Hotels & Resorts. For more information visit: swissline-cosmetics.com

Above: facialist Abigail James, second left, demonstrates the new ritual that complements Swissline’s luxurious Cell Shock range

To learn more about adding HydraFacial to your spa menu, please scan the QR code or contact: emeacorproate@hydrafacial.com

skin health. personalised. Tailored experiences for multiple skin types. emeacorporate@hydrafacial.com

On the Menu

OUR PICK OF THE LATEST PRODUCT LAUNCHES AND TREATMENT INNOVATIONS

Edited by Mark Smith

Sothys unveils Hydrating Intense Treatment and a new homecare range

Sothys has launched a new professional facial treatment and supporting retail line designed to moisturise and refresh the skin and complexion.

Hydrating Intense Treatment works in six stages to quench and plump the skin, renewing its youthfulness. The high-performance product combines four sources of hyaluronic acid with two patented Sothys active ingredients.

The 75-minute treatment also includes Sothys’ Digi-Esthétique massage techniques to lift and renew. An ultra-sensorial and highly personalised facial, it is recommended in a series of three treatments.

A high-performance concentration of innovative ingredients acts deep within the skin to boost the hydration benefits. These are based around four different types of hyaluronic acid: high and low molecular weight, micro hyaluronic acid and patented 1055 boletus extract. The latter is a genus of mushrooms rich in polysaccharides, vitamin

B3 and antioxidant compounds to boost the skin’s barrier function and protect against external agressors. The product formulas also include patented organic rowan berry peptides, Hydra Plumping Complex, ceramides, pea

Sothys Hydra Hyaluronic Acid 4 hydrating homecare range features Intense Hydrating Serum to restore, reactivate and

The brand’s new Hydrating Satin and Youth Creams work like a protective shield against dehydration, helping to immediately enhance the skin, while a Hydrating Plump

of hydration with a rich and enveloping texture. In minutes, skin is visibly smoother and the complexion glows once again.

hydrated, suppler, more radiant,

EDITOR’S PICK

Balm beauty

Bamford has introduced Rose Nurture Balm, an all-purpose super-balm made with natural ingredients to care for areas of the body that are dry, dehydrated and need soothing comfort.

Pure essential oils of rose, blackcurrant bud, ylang ylang and chamomile combine to create the brand’s signature rose fragrance. The balm also contains nourishing oils of argan, avocado, hemp and jojoba to smooth and hydrate the skin.

The nourishing balm can be applied as needed to the body, and is particularly suitable for cuticles, heels and elbows. When applied, it absorbs instantly and forms a protective barrier, leaving skin with a subtle, dewy glow. The highly moisturising formula also penetrates deeper into the skin, for more intense hydration.

Made in England and contained in recyclable packaging, the balm features all-natural fragrance and 98 per cent natural-origin ingredients.

Boosting bright eyes

Designed as a mini hydration treatment to revive and revitalise the delicate under-eye skin, Mii Cosmetics has launched Bright Eyed Hydrogel Mask.

The biodegradable eye masks deliver an instant boost of hydration in minutes and come ready-soaked in a blend of powerful skin-friendly ingredients. Caffeine reduces puffiness and energises the skin, sodium hyaluronate naturally binds moisture to hydrate the under-eye area, and niacinamide targets dark circles and rejuvenates the skin tone.

Using hydrogel technology and a cooling blend of potent essence, the easy-to-use patches have been developed for optimum absorption, consisting of a unique textured surface to adhere comfortably to the eye contour.

Suitable for preparing the skin before applying makeup, the eye masks will leave the under-eye area looking refreshed and illuminated. Apply to the under-eye area for ten minutes for pre-makeup application or 20 minutes for a more intense mask. www.miicosmetics.com

Its travel-friendly size makes it ideal for on-the-go care and hydration. www.bamford.com info@arometherapyassociates.com

Lift and firm

Developed to nourish, lift, balance and restore radiance instantly, Carol Joy London’s Lifting Mask is the latest addition to its collection of products.

Set to become a hero of the range, the mask leaves skin brighter, firmer and soft, with a radiant, youthful glow.

Enriched with botanical and collagen-boosting ingredients, the mask features rice starch, which helps to combat the effects of pollution, while kaolin draws out impurities. Golden millet helps to calm and restore the skin’s protective layer and red algae and hyaluronic acid provide a boost of essential hydration. Alpha arbutin brightens the skin, helping to reduce signs of pigmentation.

“Our Lifting Mask instantly refines, brightens and hydrates,” says Rebecca Jones, head of training at Carol Joy London. “It is ideal to prepare skin for a special occasion as it gives it an extra boost of hydration to restore radiance. Pores are less visible due to its deep cleansing action.” www.caroljoylondon.com

Calm and soothe

Murad has introduced a powerful leave-on treatment, formulated with actives and skin-healing ingredients to calm and soothe inflamed breakouts.

Deep Relief Blemish Treatment is formulated with two per cent salicylic acid, which encourages exfoliation and cell turnover, and amino acid technology that selectively targets the bad bacteria that can trigger the most severe types of breakouts. Ground cherry extract works in a similar way to hydrocortisone in calming the inflammatory response, soothing skin discomfort and reducing redness.

The new product also has an invisible film-forming polymer, creating a ‘second skin’ effect to hold the actives in place longer on the skin for better penetration.

“You can use this treatment within a professional service after a peel or enzyme treatment on those inflamed areas,” explains Tracey Wilmot, Murad’s director of education, EMEA, “as well as recommend it for home care to continue to improve skin in-between professional services.”

www.murad.co.uk

TREATMENT FOCUS

Refine and perfect

Dermalogica has introduced Pro Microneedling, a new professional treatment that promises to minimise the look of hyperpigmentation, pores, fine line and wrinkles.

The minimally invasive procedure works by initiating the body’s wound-healing process to trigger skin regeneration. By using fine needles to make miniscule, evenly-spaced micro-injuries, healthy tissue surrounding the microneedling wounds is stimulated to repair the damage. The skin healing response involves production of new cells and tissue, including the production of collagen and elastin.

Skin rejuvenation and rebuilding of the skin’s dermal structure helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and texture irregularities such as acne pitting or stretch marks.

The concept includes a four-step approach beginning with a targeted at-home programme to prime the skin, followed by in-spa skin resurfacing with customised Pro Power Peel, skin strengthening with Pro Restore, then Microneedling using a pen device and Pro Restore. Post-treatment advice is to use professional Pro Restore at home for seven days so skin is left refined and rejuvenated.

www.dermalogica.co.uk

The effects of Cell Shock

Swissline by Dermalab has added to its popular Cell Shock collection with two collagen-based skincare products: Collagen Balm-Cleanser and Luxe-Lift Night Cream.

Collagen Balm-Cleanser features hydrolysed marine collagen to moisturise and deliver line-filling benefits. Soy protein targets the signs of ageing while Xpertmoist is a highly moisturising molecular film consisting of the amino-acids proline, alanine and serine, together with a bio-marine ferment of pseudoalteromonas.

Luxe-Lift Night Cream is an evening skincare product to partner with the balm-cleanser as it replenishes and lifts mature, dry skin with a blend of marine collagen, a peptide specifically targeted for collagen renewal.

Bio-mimetic growth factors boost the synthesis of collagen and the extra-cellular matrix to improve the density and firmness of the skin. Antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase and snow mushroom work to correct cellular damage caused by photo-exposure and protect skin from oxidation caused by pollution stress.

www.swissline-cosmetics.com

TREATMENT FOCUS

TempleSpa Vitamin C Radiance Facial Workout

TempleSpa has introduced an advanced skin-transforming facial that promises instant and visible results for firmer feeling and brighter, healthy-looking skin.

Clients’ complexions are revitalised by a range of active ingredients including alpha arbutin, which is an antioxidant complex; a mineral complex with zinc, magnesium, manganese and sodium; lemon water; sodium hyaluronate; and orange essential oil. These are boosted by vitamin C and glycolic acid complexes.

The facial also features the brand’s unique skin-lifting massage techniques to enhance the skincare benefits. A deep double cleanse is followed by a layer of Most Revealing Oxygen Peel to powerfully resurface and transform the complexion.

The facial also features Let’s Concentrate Serum to brighten and treat uneven skin tone.

A powerful facial massage visibly lifts, depuffs and irons out fine lines. Finally, a professional-only alginate mask helps to boost the delivery of products deep into the skin, leaving it looking brighter, radiant, firmed and toned. www.templespa.com

Super-charged skincare

Developed to restore and revive skin, The Organic Pharmacy has launched Advanced Firming HCC7 Ampoules.

Containing high concentrations of active ingredients, the ampoules are clinically proven to significantly increase moisturisation and elasticity in just one week. They contain an interactive blend of hyaluronic acid, bio-marine collagen and stabilised vitamin C that works in synergy to intensely hydrate and firm the skin, restoring the moisture barrier and strengthening it against future dehydration.

The blend also helps to produce firmer skin cells, stimulates collagen production and prevents hyperpigmentation. This cocktail of ingredients has been carefully formulated to optimise efficacy and each of the key ingredients have been chosen for their specific skin boosting properties.

The unique delivery system features single-dose ampoules to keep the actives at optimum levels, while the eco-friendly amber glass protects the formula from UV oxidation, ensuring peak amounts of active ingredients each time the concentrated serum is applied to the skin. www.theorganicpharmacy.com

It’s only natural

Natural Spa Factory has introduced a gift collection into its unscented skincare range, ab:scent. Featuring a facial cleanser, a moisturiser and a facial polish, ab:scent is designed for all skin types and is recommended for people who are sensitive to fragrances and essential oils. The vegan-friendly and cruelty-free range calms, soothes, hydrates and helps defend sensitive skin against future flare-ups.

A facial cleanser is the first step to achieving glowing skin; a melting formula, it transforms from balm to milk to effortlessly remove impurities and make up without drying the skin.

A facial polish then features microparticles of rice to buff away dull skin, leaving it noticeably smoother. Added shea butter, avocado and jojoba oil results in even the most sensitive skin feeling radiant and refreshed. Finally, the gift collection is completed by a super-hydrating moisturiser formulated with a blend of sweet almond, sunflower and grapeseed oils.

www.naturalspafactory.com

TREATMENT FOCUS

Natura Bissé Diamond Energy Facial

Based on the pillars of its Diamond Collection, Natura Bissé has introduced the Diamond Energy Facial, a spa treatment designed to revitalise and rejuvenate all skin types, including dull and lacklustre complexions.

The experience begins with a sophisticated cleansing ritual followed by an exfoliation. Cutting-edge active ingredients deliver an infusion of energy that stimulates the skin and helps it function optimally, minimising the signs of ageing.

A bio-regenerating cream and anti-ageing mask are combined with advanced remodelling massage techniques to enhance facial contours and reveal firmer, suppler, smoother and rejuvenated skin. The facial is joined by reformulated Light and Rich Diamond Extreme Creams to firm, soothe, repair and shield the skin.

The new formulas feature Smart Energy Complex, a combination of artemia salina, extract of peony root and ChronoSkin to recharge the skin’s energy while also helping it to harmonise its natural cycles. www.naturabisse.com

European Spa selects the best professional product launches for spas. Contact mark.smith@spapublishing.com

SCIENCE-LED ORGANIC SKINCARE EXCLUSIVELY FOR PROFESSIONALS

Discover and experience our profesional line developed exclusively for Spas and Clinics.

Contact: laila@theorganicpharmacy.com www.theorganicpharmacy.com/pro-partner

Expert Advice Ian Bell, Wellbeing Expert

Do your therapists have compassion fatigue?

As an industry, we focus a lot on how to bring mental health into the guest experience. But what we should also be talking about is how we can support the mental wellbeing of our staff. Compassion fatigue is a form of burnout that is experienced by professionals working in a caring capacity. The term was first used in the medical profession, but very much applies to spa therapists too. Burnout happens when stress becomes a habit. The stress in this case comes from being overwhelmed by the needs and emotions of other people, while not looking after your own wellbeing.

Supporting team wellbeing

It takes deep empathy and a courageous openness to talk about these issues and assess if they are present within your team. It can be hard to detect the beginnings of compassion fatigue in others, especially those we rely on.

Most carers will continue to care for their clients despite how they might be struggling within themselves. They will say ‘yes’ to whatever they are asked to do, and just push on through. It is easy to take this response for granted and assume it also means ‘yes, I’m fine’. However, people-pleasing is a stress response, just like fight, flight or freeze.

A highly experienced spa and wellness professional, Ian Bell was the opening manager for Aman Spas at Amanpuri and he has managed luxury hotels in Bhutan as well as designing and opening spas for some of the biggest hospitality brands. In addition to training spa staff around the world, he is a practicing Core Process Psychotherapist, having gained his MA through the Karuna Institute in Devon, UK. www.ianalexandertherapy.com

In a spa setting, compassion fatigue can be characterised by reduced expressions of empathy and sensitivity; therapists feel detached, numb and emotionally disconnected; or in extremes, feeling stressed and depressed by the helplessness of not being able to help others.

These symptoms can be a result of the repetitive sequences that treatments are sometimes reduced to. While performing the steps of the ritual as prescribed by the menu, rather than according to the specific needs of the guest, therapists can find themselves numb to the connection and natural flow of energetic information between themselves and their clients.

Reset and recharge

If you are not already doing so, you should work closely with your HR department to develop support strategies for all staff. Consider what you can do to relieve the physical and emotional demands that are placed on therapists. Allow for breaks to be taken outdoors in nature during the day, especially in spas located in basements, helping your team to refresh and refuel.

Talk to your therapists. People in caring roles will often downplay their own exhaustion and suffering because they are so focused on looking after others. Think about how you can offer

EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR

Ian Bell

Spa consultant and wellbeing expert Ian Bell outlines the causes and effects of compassion fatigue in spas – and how businesses can guard against it

“To bring life back into our spas, treatments and therapists, we need to allow for some rewilding to happen – to make treatments more about connection, flow and spontaneity”

longer breaks between treatments.

IHG Hotels & Resorts has developed employee resource groups. These are voluntary, staff-led networks that aim to support wellbeing. All colleagues have access to information and support through the safe space of these groups, to enable them to feel comfortable bringing their whole self to work. IHG has also offered ‘Recharge Days’ over the last few years, which allow its team an opportunity to pause and have an additional day to focus on their own wellbeing and mental health.

Creating a model of balance

Healing is natural and takes place continuously in all living things. Our choice is under which conditions it will do so. For spa treatments to follow the healing principles of nature they need

to include elements of spontaneity, creativity, trust in the process and a deep attunement to the client.

However, within spa businesses, treatment success is judged by timing, adherence to rigid sequences, productivity and treatment room utilisation. We have created a very tight system that doesn’t allow for true healing to flourish.

To bring life back into our spas, treatments and therapists, we need to allow for some rewilding to happen –to make treatments about connection, flow, spontaneity and a balance of knowledge and intuition once more.

For this to occur, and ultimately to combat compassion fatigue in our spa teams, there needs to be a shift in how we view our businesses from a revenue perspective.

Very few spa models offer a direct and full return on investments. The ones that do are usually membership based, where membership fees rather than treatment revenues meet the budgets. And yet, we still operate spas on a direct profit-driven model, to the detriment of therapist’s wellbeing and ultimately that of our guests.

The financial worth of any spa is in the indirect revenue through increased guest-room and food and beverage revenue; how it can encourage return guests and also draw in local communities. But the true value of a spa is in the healing and caring space it offers. When we put some soul back into our treatments, through our therapists, spas will truly become the dwelling and healing spaces for our bodies, minds and souls again.

Brands to Watch Grown Alchemist promotion

The alchemy of skincare

Grown Alchemist co-founder Jeremy Muijs and Harrison Gregory, general manager, UK and EMEA, explain what the science-led brand brings to the luxury spa market

Launched in Melbourne, Australia in 2008, Grown Alchemist is a collection of results-driven skincare powered by nature. Offering more than 80 biocompatible skincare, body, hair and nutricosmetic products, the brand’s certified vegan formulas contain scientifically proven ingredients to deliver radiant, healthier-looking skin.

Following the announcement of its new partnership with Nobu Hotel London Portman Square, we ask co-founder Jeremy Muijs and general manager, UK and EMEA, Harrison Gregory about the company’s strong focus on the spa and wellness industry.

What can Grown Alchemist offer spas?

Jeremy Muijs (JM): Our products and treatments not only answer the call from a wide range of clients who want to experience natural treatments, but they also deliver in terms of efficacy. We combine cutting-edge technology with results-driven natural products in a truly unique and unusual way.

Tell us about your hero products.

JM: Our Instant Smoothing Serum is a triple-weight hyaluronic that’s been specifically designed to work in harmony with your skin’s biology.

Hydra-Restore Cream Cleanser is the first step in a double cleanse, helping to emulsify oil, excess sebum and makeup, and remove cellular waste. Our Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser then effectively removes skin impurities.

How are you attracting spa business?

Harrison Gregory (HG): We want our products to be found through elevated and innovative partners that give

Jeremy Muijs Co-founder, Grown Alchemist (above left with Harrison Gregory)

Grown Alchemist the time and space to effectively communicate our brand message. As part of an omni-channel distribution model, we’re working with retailers, e-tailers and spas that represent the best in beauty, such as Selfridges, H Beauty, Lookfantastic and Nobu Hotel London Portman Square.

What treatments do you offer spas?

JM: We have a range of premium facials and bodycare rituals for spas. Our hero facial is Regenerator, a total skin reboot to tackle ageing. Tripleweight hyaluronic acid and peptides 3 and 8 encourage collagen production and improve firmness. These are combined with lymphatic drainage, LED and cryotherapy for instant results.

How is Grown Alchemist innovative?

JM: We have partnered with REVIV, the global leader in IV drip therapy,

to design The Grown Alchemist Exclusive IV, which can be administered alongside our facials. This blend includes glutathione, N-acetyl cysteine and high-dose vitamin C to intensely hydrate and detox the body, nourishing the skin, hair and nails, and boosting collagen production.

Tell us about your partnership with Nobu London.

JM: It’s wonderful as we can target a market with a relevant overlap – their customer is our customer: a modern, intelligent and aware guest, who buys products with meaning. As our first spa partner, it sets the benchmark high.

How do you see the brand growing over the next five years?

JM: It is such an exciting time. We have been creating natural, organic and efficacious products for almost 20 years. We’ve practiced our craft and we understand the biological mechanisms that trigger beautiful skin. We understand how to target them, and we know that it’s not just about topical treatments. Via our partnership with the L’Occitane Group we have the capability to deliver globally, in a way that is authentically us.

Any other partnerships in the pipeline?

HG: At the moment we are committed to building a full-service partnership with Nobu Hotel London Portman Square. Next up is The Lowry, Manchester... more to come on this.

To find out more about partnering with Grown Alchemist, email: Harrison. Gregory@grownalchemist.com www.grownalchemist.com

“We’ve practiced our craft and we understand the biological mechanisms that trigger beautiful skin”

Spa Spotlight Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian

Come with me…

Celebrating a brand-new spa concept, Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian is a showcase example of how brand partnerships can be a game changer for city spas

REPORT BY SARAH CAMILLERI

Affectionately known as ‘the Caley’, Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian is an icon of Scotland’s majestic capital. A former railway station, this imposing Victorian building, managed by Hilton Worldwide, offers unrivalled views of Edinburgh Castle in the historic heart of the city. Providing 241 guest rooms and suites, it is the perfect home for the countless international travellers who stay there.

This summer the Caley celebrated the successful relaunch of its Waldorf Astoria Spa, a boutique urban spa set across two floors, which offers a full-service treatment menu as well as fitness and wet spa facilities. Refreshingly, the whole management team has been immersed in new ways to help the spa team deliver memorable stays and extend the holistic offer to allow future in-room wellbeing experiences. The result is a completely reimagined approach to wellness that has been installed under the careful stewardship of spa manager Claire Doering and her team, with support from general manager Dale MacPhee and the Caley’s director of rooms Dean McVey.

Evolving a new identity

Recently honoured as General Manager of the Year 2022 by The Caterer, Dale MacPhee joined Hilton 32 years ago, taking the helm of the Caley nine years ago. The Canadian is passionate about creating

Opposite page: the spa’s healing rituals are a integral part of its new offering; Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh in the heart of the Scottish capital; the vibrant retail and reception area

memorable experiences that make a real connection with guests, and she believes spa is the ideal way to achieve this. “We knew it was time to reimagine our spa offer to make it new and exciting,” says MacPhee. “We also knew we needed more flexibility. Also, it was important that our name took prominence in the spa – this is a Waldorf Astoria Spa first and foremost.”

Key to the evolution of the spa’s new identity was the selection of brand partners who could elevate the treatment offering and create a unique point of difference when it comes to caring for guests.

“Our goal was to create the right diversity in our treatment offer, and we knew this would require more than one product partner,” says MacPhee. “We wanted to partner with the very best and 111Skin and Ground Wellbeing are extremely complementary brands. Both have been created by visionary founders in the spa world and they allow us to make the right emotional connection with our guests.”

our spa guests

“For

I ask my team to imagine they are picking them up from the moment they walk in and floating them through the experience.”

Claire Doering Spa manager, Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh

Care and connection

The vision to present “the ultimate city spa experience” was tasked to spa manager Claire Doering and her team. Proud of her holistic therapy roots and supreme standards of service, Doering has worked at the Waldorf Astoria Spa for six years.

“It’s been a real journey to refresh the spa offer and develop a wellbeing experience that would appeal to all our guests,” she says. “We went through a lengthy consultation process to select the right brand partners, as we knew that they would be key to our success now and in future.

“For me, it was important that we could work easily together with our chosen partners. As a holistic therapist, it was also vital that our new treatments could really connect and deliver an element of care – we are all here to help people make changes. This wish lies at the heart of everything we do, so our spa training and preparation has been intense and the whole team has been involved.”

Above: the Waldorf Astoria Spa’s swimming pool provides a light-filled space for guests to luxuriate and exercise in

Phenomenal partnerships

In the hotel’s bid to bring a premium ‘in-clinic’ spa experience to Edinburgh, Doering says that surgically inspired skincare brand 111Skin “ticked all the boxes when it comes to results”.

“They really do provide facials that offer phenomenal results,” she explains. “Our treatments are designed by the brand’s founder, Harley Street specialist Dr Yannis Alexandrides, to deliver clinical expertise as well as scientific formulations that really align with the offer we wished to provide.”

The spa’s revitalised treatment menu now offers six of the brand’s specialist facials, as well as three bespoke body treatments, all designed to meet guests’ specific demands.

“Incorporating 111Skin has also allowed us to drive our local market and we are now attracting a growing and loyal clientele who are looking for clinical skincare and real results,” Doering adds.

Wellbeing in the city

The Caley’s new wellness star is Irish wellness brand Ground Wellbeing, which brings an impressive range of Celtic-inspired holistic rituals to the menu, in addition to an accessible and attractive retail line

Spa Spotlight Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian

Above: 111Skin’s clinical skincare expertise provides the spa with a unique selling point that is attracting both hotel guests and local clientele

that allows guests to take the spa experience home with them.

“With 70% of our business devoted to delivering wellness treatments and massage, we needed a brand that could drive this demand further,” says Doering. “We chose Ground Wellbeing as it brings ritual, relief, and retreat to our city centre spa experience.”

Six specially developed Grounding Rituals have been created by the brand’s founder Peigin Crowley, who worked closely with Doering and her team to incorporate plant-based products, breathwork and intuitive massage techniques. Most notably, the extraordinary signature ritual known as Tar Liom, which means “come with me” in Celtic, delivers a remarkable level of holistic immersion and connection for clients.

“When we first started to talk to Peigin, it was like talking to another therapist – she was such a great match for us. She is humble, warm, intuitive, and so knowledgeable about our challenges and goals. She knew exactly how we wanted to treat people and

A new era for wellbeing and selfcare

General manager Dale MacPhee discusses the importance of making emotional connections

We appreciate that spa and wellness demand is growing and will be looking at many new ways to present wellness to guests. The recovery post-lockdowns has probably come back faster and sooner than anyone of us would have imagined, and this has challenged the supply chain, the labour pool and customer expectation. The guest has become more demanding with this too.

However, the demand for ‘me time’ is growing everywhere in hospitality – in spa, F&B and the level of room category and services that guests want to experience.

In the last two years people have realised that they want to live for the moment. Every moment is important – and important to enjoy. In the past many would be saving for the future but now people want to experience the here and now.

Everyone is excited about travel again and wellness is being driven by people’s desire to seek out things that are good for them or simply a treat for them.

Spa Spotlight Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian

Rituals with purpose

We ask Peigin Crowley, founder of holistic lifestyle brand Ground Wellbeing, about the new wellness dimension it has brought to the Waldorf Astoria Spa

What makes Ground Wellbeing a unique spa partner?

Our mission is to make therapists fall back in love with massage. We all know it is such a large part of our business. We at Ground are therapists ourselves, and we have designed and developed treatment rituals that are as enjoyable to deliver as they are to receive.

We have evolved each ritual to include breathwork, lymphatic drainage, acupressure and energy work so as to encourage the thinking therapist – equipping them with moves to adapt to bring balance to those struggling with sleep, menopause, anxiety and burnout.

How did you work with the Waldorf Astoria Spa team on their new menu?

When Claire Doering was looking for a new wellness brand, it was of paramount importance that it would work for her team, that it would excite them and give them a 360-degree understanding of sincere wellbeing and selfcare.

Claire saw through lockdown how her guests were needing more. She realised that the words burnout, anxiety, insomnia and menopause were rarely used or seen in a typical spa, and she felt the time was right for this to change.

The team embraced our brand so energetically and really understand now how much more capable they are for holding space and giving purposeful treatments to those who need it most.

How is wellness evolving in spas and what opportunities does it present?

I think we have all recognised the shift from spas historically being seen as an indulgence – an exclusive sanctuary to

be pampered and preened in – to a more purposeful response to real-life stress and anxiety. It has become apparent that minding ourselves is not intuitive and we must re-learn it and wish it for others.

Spas are becoming more educational, offering workshops, wellbeing lectures and retreats, and becoming more inclusive and community-based. For example, there is nothing more cathartic than joining a menopause retreat and meeting other women going through the same life stage with experts guiding us on the specific self-care required in this transition.

Spa Spotlight Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian

the spa’s luxurious relaxation room Below: six specially developed rituals from Ground Wellbeing incorporate plant-based products, breathwork and intuitive massage techniques

our wish to bring healing to the experience. She also understood that we wanted to be able to deliver accessible wellness while maintaining a high degree of luxury,” says Doering.

Driven to deliver results

The power of these two very different brands gives Doering and her 14-strong spa team scope to satisfy a wide range of customers, as well as plenty of new opportunities to meet the local market.

“It was important that we chose two brands that would work well together and bring us synergy and support. In fact, we have group calls all the time and the brands work with us and each other to ensure we are well supported,” she says.

“Accessible wellness is so important now and Ground Wellbeing provides this as its aftercare products and kits are so well priced and so easy to integrate into the treatment. The take-home treatments allow the healing journey to continue. Our guests really love them.”

Completing the offer, the spa’s bijoux gleaming mani-pedi studio offers the best in hand and footcare rituals from Margaret Dabbs. “She is phenomenal and her treatments allow us to care and make connection with guests straight away,” says Doering. “Margaret is very holistic and has been with us for over 10 years now. We use Jessica polishes, too.”

Respite for guests

The Caley’s spa relaunch has been a total team effort to meet growing demand for self-care, wellness and cutting-edge aesthetics.

“Wellness demand is sure to grow, especially in Scotland as we have so much to offer in terms of nature and natural beauty,” says Doering. “Here in the city, we are very much a boutique high-end clinic in terms of our offering, performing first-class treatments that deliver release and respite.”

Mindful of the guest mix, the spa team works daily with Waldorf Astoria leisure members, hotel and day spa guests. “For our spa guests I ask my team to imagine they are picking them up from the moment they walk in and floating them through the experience. It’s important that everything is as relaxed as possible, so they don’t have to think about anything – it all needs to flow.

Spa Spotlight Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian

Left:

Right from top: a living wall enhances the Ground Wellbeing retail display; the spa offers hand and footcare rituals from Margaret Dabbs; one of the Waldorf Astoria Spa’s five treatment rooms

“Our leisure guests know us and enjoy a conversation whereas our hotel guests have extremely high expectations of Waldorf Astoria services. It’s about being in tune to deliver luxury experiences and give to the best of our ability. We want people to enjoy every moment here and leave feeling better.”

Doering says she is keen to continue developing the Waldorf Spa’s expertise and reach. “Delivering Waldorf Astoria’s service levels is something the spa team is always aspiring to achieve. I am also looking to introduce a time concept later this year to empower our therapists so they can customise treatments. The luxury touches and journey will be there always, but our therapists will be able to really decide what a client needs and deliver this with confidence.

“As well as our GM, our director of rooms, Dean McVey, is also a great support to us. It’s so refreshing to work with a management team that wants to experience all the treatments and work with us to grow the business. They totally understand our targets and challenges. Together we are looking at many ways we can develop in-room wellness services and our leisure services.”

SPA STATISTICS

Waldorf Astoria Spa www.thecaledonian.waldorfastori.com/spa

General manager: Dale MacPhee

Spa manager: Claire Doering

Spa team: 14

Spa size: 120 sqm

Treatment rooms: Five including a dual treatment room and mani-pedi lounge

Product houses: 111SKIN, Ground Wellbeing, Margaret Dabbs, Jessica Pool and thermal suppliers: DaleSauna, Whirlpool, Aqua Leisure

Fitness: Technogym and Precor Specialist equipment: Gharieni treatment beds; Gamma and Bross pedicure thrones

Spa Spotlight Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian

All about the eyes

Murad’s innovative new Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Masks harness the power of retinol to tackle fine lines and puffiness, leaving the eyes looking ultra-refreshed

Created in partnership with skincare expert Dr. Zion Ko, Murad’s latest innovation, Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Masks aim to tackle fine lines and wrinkles around the eye area. These premium extra-large eye masks deliver an instant boost of retinol to virtually erase lines, visibly firm and leave eyes looking ultra-refreshed.

The formulation features the brand’s unique Retinol Tri-Active Technology, which balances fast-acting and delayed-release retinols for rapid results while being gentle on the skin.

“It is difficult for traditional retinol to penetrate the skin, and it can cause irritation and flakiness at the surface,” explains Murad’s education director Tracey Wilmot. “But Dr Murad has overcome this by harnessing three retinol technologies: a fast acting retinoid that works quickly on skin cell turnover; a time-release retinol that slowly and gently nourishes the skin; and a retinol booster that increases the skin’s receptivity.”

Active ingredients

The eye masks also include blue agave extract to visibly firm and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Passionfruit extract helps to minimise puffiness and dullness, while swertia flower extract improves epidermal thickness and hyaluronic acid boosts hydration.

Suitable for balanced, oily, dry and combination skin types, the eye masks are made from premium, non-slip bio-cellulose, as used in medical settings, to help boost the absorption of ingredients. The bio-cellulose mask is derived from hydrating coconut water, which increases the delivery and efficacy of the ingredients.

“The mask itself holds three times more serum than a typical treatment due to the bio-cellulose fibres that provide a perfect non-slip fit to skin for maximum delivery,” Wilmot says.

The launch of Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Masks adds to Murad’s growing collection of retinol-based products. These include Retinol Youth Renewal Serum, Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum and Retinol Youth Renewal

Night Cream, which act quickly on the skin without the irritation associated with traditional retinol formulas.

Impressive results

“The most common concern clients have is the eye area – puffiness, dark circles, loss of firmness or lines and wrinkles,” says Wilmot. “These masks are designed for a more intense targeted treatment of these areas.”

Research has shown the efficacy of Murad’s Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Masks, with 80 per cent of people in a trial showing immediate improvement in crow’s feet, lines and wrinkles. Under-eye puffiness was quickly reduced in 70 per cent; 93 per cent agreed that firmness around the eye area was visibly improved; and 97 per cent claimed that the eye area was smoother. All participants in the study confirmed that the eye mask was comfortable to wear and stayed in place, without slipping.

To find out more about Murad’s collection of retinol-based products, visit: www.murad.co.uk

Above: Before and after application of Murad’s Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Mask

Brands to Watch Eight of the best super serums

Eight of the best super serums

REPORT BY MARK SMITH

Once seen as an add-on to a skincare regime, serums have established themselves as an essential step in maintaining healthy-looking skin. Scientific advances and new formulations have added high-tech ingredients to create easy-to-apply products that offer a multitude of benefits in one product.

The market for serums in the UK was valued at £34 million (€39 million)in the first half of 2022, says The NPD Group, with sales increasing 2 per cent on the same period in 2021. Their use has become entrenched in social media culture too, where the #zserum has been shared 9.4 million times.

“We see serums as the best opportunity to deliver powerful active ingredients targeted to specific skin care concerns,” says Robin Parker, R&D director at THG Labs. “By their very nature they tend to be more treatment-based and more concentrated, and as a result often command a higher price than moisturisers. The formulator can focus on using high levels of active ingredients delivered in a serum base that optimises the performance of these ingredients.”

Serums in the spa

Spas are in a unique position to communicate the benefits of serums both in the treatment room and in reception or retail areas. Clever use of shelf-talkers, well-trained staff and support from brand partners can help to celebrate the benefits of using these highly potent products on the skin. Therapists have a close relationship with guests and are regarded as trained skincare advisors, trusted by the client for the best advice.

“When recommending a serum to a spa guest, focus on matching a serum with the key skincare concern or challenge elicited during the consultation,” says Antonia David, training manager at Elemental Herbology. “Emphasise the high concentration of active ingredients, the instant visible results and the fact that using a serum will enhance the effectiveness of their moisturiser.”

To illustrate the leaders in this growing sector, we spotlight eight of the best super serums on the market.

Serums are an integral part of modern skincare regimes. European Spa highlights eight of the best products to super-charge your clients’ skin

Brands to Watch Eight of the best super serums

CBD delivery BEST FOR

OTO Revitalising CBD Serum

Developed to rebalance stressed skin, OTO Revitalising CBD Serum protects against free-radical damage and nourishes and rejuvenates skin to restore radiance. The potent vegan-friendly formulation contains 750mg of pure CBD and is formulated specifically to soothe, nourish and revitalise stressed skin, awakening its natural radiance.

OTO’s pure CBD has antioxidant, anti-sebum, skin-protecting and skin-conditioning properties, and supports the healthy rejuvenation of your skin. Naturally nourishing, it leaves skin feeling hydrated and soft after use.

Pomegranate seed oil, rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, helps to protect against free-radical damage. Evening primrose oil soothes dry skin and helps maintain the overall health and elasticity of the skin while reinforcing the skin barrier. Blue tansy, also known as Moroccan chamomile, is known for calming sensitive stressed skin helping to soothe and rebalance it.

Use one to two pumps and massage onto the face and neck in gentle upward sweeping motions to tighten and lift.

www.otocbd.com

Biologique Recherche Le Grand Sérum

Biologique Recherche has developed a new and unique formula for Le Grand Sérum, centered around the concept of telomere ageing. This elixir works on all age-related skin issues through an innovative combination of 27 anti-wrinkle, antioxidant, firming and regenerating ingredients.

Le Grand Sérum helps protect the skin from harsh external factors and its illuminating action gives the complexion a boost of radiance.

TélomerActiv offers a new anti-ageing approach by strengthening cellular defence mechanisms to protect and activate longevity factors in skin cells. This unique technology aims to improve the stability and longevity of telomeres to help prevent the irreversible accumulation of cellular ageing markers, suggesting a slowing down of its senescence. TélomerActiv also helps improve the appearance of the skin by increasing collagen production.

Mimosa tenuiflora, yeast, witch hazel and St John’s Wort extracts are regenerating and renewing; hyaluronic acid and watercress extract hydrate and smooth; hazelnut, centella asiatica and pomegranate firm and tone; myrtle, myrrh, wasabi extract and vitamin B3 offer antioxidant protection; and white tea extract and royal jelly brighten the appearance.

www. biologique-recherche.com

Anti-ageing

BEST FOR

IN THE SILENCE COMES THE HEALING

www.murad.co.uk

Discover the power of CBD, with the world’s first sensory CBD-infused facial and massage experiences. www.otocbd.com/spa

www.elementalherbology.com www.otocbd.com/spa

Brands to Watch Eight of the best Super Serums

Murad Correct & Protect Serum SPF 45

Murad has introduced an innovation to the market with the launch of Correct & Protect Serum SPF45. This satin-smooth serum with 100% mineral SPF is said to be clinically proven to visibly correct discolouration and prevent future hyperpigmentation.

Combining the proven results of a treatment serum with an SPF it offers a dual-action product with a multitude of benefits.

UV-responsive carotenoid technology, exclusive to Murad, is combined with responsibly sourced jojoba, squalene, tomato and beetroot extracts to absorb and reflect UV light for an instant, naturally enhanced skin glow. This combination also offers a powerful antioxidant defence, brightening and reducing visible discolouration, hydrating and stimulating vitamin D production.

To protect the skin, 100% mineral zinc oxide sunscreen with plant extracts offer UVA and UVB defence, which also acts against blue light and pollution. Beetroot extract provides a fast-absorbing, moisturiser-like dose of hydration to suit all skin types. Apply to dry cleansed skin following your recommended skincare serum. www.murad.co.uk

Hydration and radiance BEST FOR

ESPA Pro-Glow Skin-Quenching Serum

ESPA has introduced a dual-purpose super-hydrating serum that promises a radiant and tanned complexion. Pro-Glow Skin-Quenching Serum creates a supple radiance and healthy bloom with its gradual tanning formulation that provides a natural and radiant glow.

Pigment and streak-free, this re-energising serum leaves skin feeling plump, dewy and refreshed thanks to a high-tech formulation that includes Omega & Vitamin Complex – a blend of vitamin F, echium oil and vitamin E – to protect the skin’s moisture barrier while delivering nutrition to it.

Plant-derived, Pro Glow Complex is a blend of DHA, trehalose and erythrulose that offers a sunless, gradual natural radiance. To hydrate the skin, aloe vera, a natural humectant, helps to soothe and moisturise; snow mushroom leaves skin feeling soft, hydrated and protected; and spirulina hydrates and helps maintain healthy-looking skin. Caffeine-rich guarana reduces the appearance of dull, tired-looking complexions so that skin is left more evenly toned and energised. www.espaskincare.com

NEW ADVANCED FACIAL SERUMS

HYALURONATE, VITAMIN C & BIO RETINOL

VOYA launches three certified organic advanced facial serums created using innovative skincare technology. Backed by science. www.voya.ie www.voya.ie

Visible line filling

Swissline by Dermalab 360° Anti-Wrinkles Serum Triple Collagen Complex

Swissline by Dermalab’s 360° Anti-Wrinkles Serum Triple Collagen Complex is a luxury anti-wrinkle serum that promises a visible line-filling effect. Part of the Cell Shock collection, it is formulated with a triple collagen complex that infuses dry skin with intense moisture and offers lasting resilience.

Soluble collagen helps to boost the skin’s own collagen production – a collagen-boosting peptide, palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, and botanical extracts from the argan tree help to strengthen the skin. Micro-algae nannochloropsis oculata and polysaccharides, offer a protective effect on collagen in the skin.

Low molecular-weight hyaluronic acid provides an immediate and long-term filling effect. Ocean Matrix Complex features polysaccharides from a botanical origin; a lyophilizate from the red algae porphyridium cruentum provides an immediate tightening effect and smoothes the skin, reducing roughness while acting as a protective barrier against oxidative stress. Cellactel 2 Complex boosts vital skin functions and revitalises cellular metabolism to lift the skin and visibly reduce wrinkles. www.swissline-cosmetics.com

Balancing skin biome

Elemental Herbology Perfect Balance

Probiotic Serum

Developed to fortify the skin with the biome-balancing properties of aurafirm, kombucha and polyglutamic acid, Elemental Herbology has introduced Perfect Balance Probiotic Serum. Using a 100% vegan probiotic complex, this lightweight, hydrating serum uses skin-friendly bacteria to soothe inflammation, strengthen the skin’s barrier and balance moisture levels.

Part of the brand’s Wood Balance collection, Perfect Balance Probiotic Serum is ideal for normal/combination skins, or for those with a compromised skin barrier. The formula features kombucha, which improves skin smoothness and radiance, and aurafirm, a lactobacilli probiotic derived from fermented oats to support and accelerate the recovery of the skin.

Also included is ACB bio-chelate 5 PF, a blend of zinc, iron, silicon, copper and magnesium to reduce inflammation, while polyglutamic acid provides long-lasting hydration and protects against environmental damage. Squalane, jojoba and rosehip oil moisturise and condition the skin.

The serum is recommended for use after Perfect Balance Cleansing Oil and before Perfect Balance Moisturiser to protect skin. www.elementalherbology.com

BEST FOR

BEST FOR

Resurfacing skin BEST FOR

Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Super-C Serum

Elemis’s Dynamic Resurfacing Super-C Serum is an ultra-concentrated skin-brightening, refining and illuminating serum. Its patented Tri-Enzyme Technology includes papain, which supports the skin’s renewal process by exfoliating, leaving it soft and smooth. Protease subtilisin provides mild exfoliation, hydrating the skin and supporting its renewal process.

Sodium ascorbyl phosphate, a stable vitamin C derivative and potent antioxidant, neutralises oxidative stress, acting as a radical scavenger and stimulating collagen synthesis.

Dynamic Resurfacing Super-C Serum also contains red clover extract, purifying, rebalancing and refining the appearance of visible pores and regulating sebum production. Mediterranean mullein extract increases skin’s luminosity and radiance, while Swiss Alpine Blend is a combination of seven organic Alpine plant extracts cultivated at high altitudes, which significantly improve skin tone by reducing uneven pigmentation and age spots.

Clinically proven to reduce pigmentation and uneven skin tone, with continued use, dark spots, pores and dullness are visibly reduced and skin appears more even and healthy.

www.elemis.com

Organic renewal BEST FOR

Voya Organic Advanced Facial Serums

Following two years of research and development, Voya has introduced three COSMOS-certified organic advanced facial serums. Created using innovative skin technology, seaweed science and cutting-edge biotechnology, the serums address specific skincare concerns and can be used alone or partnered with Voya’s existing range of moisturisers.

Hyaluronate Serum is an anti-pollution product formulated with sodium hyaluronate, said to penetrate deeper than hyaluronic acid for greater hydration. Ice Awake is an active ingredient from a bacteria found in the Swiss Alps that energises tired skin, reduces the appearance of wrinkles and increases radiance. Skin is left smoother, protected, and glowing.

Bio-Retinol Concentrate Serum is an oil-based skin-renewing formulation designed to improve firmness and elasticity while reducing the signs of premature ageing, such as dull skin and pigmentation. Revinage, a safe plant-based alternative to retinoids, stimulates cellular proliferation and antioxidant activity as well as collagen production, reducing the appearance of blemishes. As this is natural, it is said to be less reactive than retinol and therefore suitable for people with sensitive skin.

www.voya.ie

At Dermalogica we don’t just cover it, blur it or minimize it – we treat it. Our professional skin therapists have quite literally touched, squeezed, lasered, blasted, plucked, massaged & buffed the skin of millions of people.

join the brand that invests more into their skin therapists than any other

Results backed by science

Suna Ryoho, the age-old traditional Japanese practice of detoxifying the body in hot sand baths, was brought to France in 2004 by Shogoro Uemura when he created the far infrared treatment treatment bed Iyashi Dôme.

Devised with a straightforward wellness principle, Iyashi Dôme aims to restore the body’s balance using infratherapy. Far infrared rays are waves of energy that transmit heat to objects but not the air, through an invisible form of light.

For spas looking to offer a gentle yet powerful treatment option, Iyashi Dôme provides a risk-free way to create a distinct increase in body temperature. The results of this increase include detoxification, slimming, improved sleep, skin rejuvenation, muscle recovery and relaxation. One 30-minute Iyashi Dôme session is said to be equivalent to a 20km run as it contributes to the elimination of approximately 1,200ml of sweat and 600 calories.

Weight loss and detox Keen to show substantial proof of its many benefits, Iyashi Dôme is the only infratherapy company to have carried out measured clinical trials in the fields of detox, slimming and anti-ageing.

In Switzerland, samples of sweat were taken from 22 patients after a 25-minute Iyashi Dôme session. Analysis later showed that Iyashi Dôme increases the amount of toxins, particularly heavy metals such as aluminium, eliminated through sweat.

A further trial involving 18 people aged 25-57, looked into the weight loss benefits of Iyashi Dôme. This

demonstrated a loss of 2-3 per cent body fat and a reduction of one to two dress sizes after two 30-minute sessions a week for two months. Average weight loss was 3.4kg.

Skin-ageing benefits

Iyashi Dôme enables spas to offer an innovative anti-ageing solution by stimulating cellular regeneration and fibroblasts, which are responsible for skin firmness. Average observed results include wrinkle reduction in 10 per cent of users and increases in facial skin hydration (47 per cent), skin elasticity (15 per cent) and dermis thickness (39 per cent).

New studies show the benefits of infratherapy go further still, with researchers demonstrating that sessions can also enhance the immune system, stimulate wound healing and encourage the sympathetic nervous system. This means that Iyashi Dôme use can benefit those who are unable to exercise as needed due to age, injury or chronic illness.

“As spas increasingly look to move beyond the standard offer, Iyashi Dôme can give them a competitive advantage”

Florent Cornelis Training manager, Iyashi Dôme

We look into the clinical trials that have proven the many varied benefits of Iyashi Dôme’s infratherapy treatments to help with weight-loss, detox and skin health

Antimicrobial properties

“Spas are increasingly looking to offer genuine wellness options, and treatments that can make transformative changes to guests,” says Iyashi Dôme training manager Florent Cornelis. “Iyashi Dôme offers countless solutions above and beyond those which are perhaps better known, such as weight loss and detoxing.

“Far-infrared radiation induces antimicrobial properties that can be effective for bacterial reduction. A growing body of evidence suggests it is also particularly beneficial for neural stimulation as well as promoting a wide range of therapeutic benefits in cells or tissues.

“Studies into its effectiveness in

inhibiting cancer cell growth and improving the effectiveness of chemotherapy, as well as helping to treat disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, are ongoing and very promising. In people with osteoarthritis or cardiovascular respiratory problems, far infrared saunas could also be used as an alternative to moderate exercise .

Partnering for progress

Iyashi Dôme has a wide range of more than 500 partners worldwide, including Hôtel & Spa Thalazur Royan and Phytomer Spa & Wellness in France, Spa Quintessense in Russia, Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, Reebok Sports Club Armenia

and Kisawa Sanctuary in Mozambique.

“As spas increasingly medicalise their offer and look to move beyond the standard menu, Iyashi Dôme can give them a competitive advantage,” Cornelis says.

“In order to emit its far infrared rays evenly to the whole body, Iyashi Dôme uses a 100 per cent Japanese technology called ‘Black Carbon’, and offers the largest wavelength range on the market, with an emission of infrared radiation between 5 and 20 micrometres – the best match for the human body to absorb.”

To find out more about how Iyashi Dôme could add new revenue streams to your spa business, visit: www.iyashidome.com

Brands to Watch Iyashi Dôme promotion

Expert Advice Tracey Stapleton, The Spa PR Company

7 ways to achieve your Q4 marketing goals

The final quarter of the year is no time to sit back, it’s an opportunity to reach and even exceed those targets that you set last year and sprint successfully into 2023.

Many retail brands pump the majority of their annual marketing budget into the festive season, which includes running a series of campaigns that reach their core customers at different touchpoints. With demand for spa gift vouchers and experiences increasing year on year, we can take valuable lessons from this and reap the benefits.

What’s more, in my many years of working in spa PR and marketing, I’ve learnt that planning takes the stress out of everything and delivers much better results, so here are seven tips to help you.

Understand your customer spending habits

The more you know about your customers, the easier it will be to predict their spending habits and create products and services that they desire and need.

Some of the most successful online retailers and tech companies still get their customers on the phone on a regular basis to help them dive deeper into their needs and challenges.

commit to purchasing, so you want to be showing up again and again... and again.

Revisit your goals. Are they smart enough for this period? Are you focusing enough on the segments of your business that can achieve your goals for this quarter? Revisit your messaging, evaluate your data and, if you have budget remaining, review how this could be best spent to achieve the biggest rewards, taking into account this period but also with an eye on giving yourself a strong start to 2023.

Stay relevant by using Google trends to see what people are searching for around the topic of ‘spa’. I looked at the past five years to see when searches for ‘spa breaks’ peaked, and while January saw the highest demand, early October is very popular too.

Make the most of every occasion during the season

Aside from the festive season, the last quarter of the year offers a whole host of awareness days and celebrations for spas to piggy-back onto.

After a decade and a half in consumer public relations, 16 years ago Tracey Stapleton began to specialise in spa and wellbeing. Now managing director of The Spa PR Company, she offers a targeted range of PR and marketing services to spa and hotel operators as well as beauty and wellbeing product brands and services. www.thespaprcompany.com

Christmas gift buying can be quite predictable, comprising early shoppers versus last-minute buyers. Research shows that December is still the most popular time for gift buying, with a large proportion of men shopping in the last few days before Christmas.

The key is to start seeding early through your e-marketing, PR and social channels. It can take someone 15 times to see something before they

There is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Menopause Month (very topical this year with lots of celebrity support) and Halloween in October, as well as Diwali, Bonfire Night, Black Friday and Cyber Monday in November.

Review the packages, treatments and offers you have planned to ensure you’re maximising your visibility during these times.

Add some festive sparkle Encourage repeat bookings/purchases and attract new customers by making the season as magical and memorable

EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR

Tracey Stapleton

as possible. Add some festive branding and messaging to customer emails, receipts, product packaging and communications with suppliers (they’re potential customers too).

Create your own Christmas advert and reward your loyal customers. Spas are in a great position to be that fairy godmother and make dreams come true!

Hit the headlines with PR

Many seasonal campaigns make great PR stories, thereby generating significant awareness around your spa brand, reinforcing positioning and driving valuable word of mouth. For example, last year spa booking agency SpaSeekers launched the Mulled Wine Spa Day, where guests could wallow in a hot tub of mulled wine, and

many spas incorporate other seasonal ingredients such as pumpkin, gold and frankincense to make their treatments more relevant and newsworthy.

Supporting local charities, providing expert comment on wellbeing and newsjacking popular trends and stories can all help your spa to stand out from the crowd.

Introduce special multi-visit packages to your spa

It’s not unusual for some spas to run special six-week spa memberships for their local market in the summer season. So why not fill up your December bookings by introducing a Festive Holidays membership that comprises spa entry only, with treatments and food and beverage added on top?

Involve your staff and make them happy

Achieving a successful final quarter is a team effort so identify your activators and incentivise them to help you achieve your business goals together.

Getting them involved from the start of a campaign gives them a sense of ownership and these employee brand advocates will then find novel and effective ways to reach customers and build a connection with them.

Internal communications are as important as external, as research shows that engaged employees work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company, driving it to greater success.

Expert Advice Tracey Stapleton, The Spa PR Company

Above: festive gifting is a vital revenue driver but spas need to work hard to be seen by potential customers and engage with them

EXPERT GUIDE

TREATMENT COUCHES

The primary aim of spa treatment couches is to provide the ultimate in comfort for clients while allowing therapists to perform to the best of their abilities. However there are many other factors to take into account when making such a significant investment in your treatment room.

Stylish design, high-quality manufacturing and great aftersales service are clearly important, but from a business perspective, amortising your outlay is also a key aim. To this end, any product must enable you

to offer a flexible and varied range of services that can increase room utilisation and revenue streams while contributing to the streamlining and simplification of your operation.

Caring for therapists and guests Many couches are built to facilitate the delivery of a comprehensive range of treatments – from facials, pedicures and manicures to massage and relaxation – so it is vital that the therapist’s wellbeing is built in to their design, with ergonomics and functionality a key priority.

And with spa guests becoming ever more discerning about their wellness choices, it is no longer enough to simply offer luxury and comfort. The digital revolution has disrupted the industry and treatment enhancing technologies are now being incorporated into spa furniture to enhance the guest experience.

From aromatherapy and chromatherapy to noise cancellation, AI-created haptic pulses, binaural beats and guided meditation,

Above: a multifunctional Welnamis treatment bed from Gharieni

technology is being used to enable the creation of high-tech, high-touch signature experiences that can truly differentiate your offering.

To help you make the most informed decision about your next treatment room investment, we ask some of the leading global industry providers for their expert advice.

European Spa would like to thank LEMI, Gharieni Group and Living Earth Crafts for their contribution to this guide.

www.lemispa.com | www.gharieni.com www.livingearthcrafts.com

www.europeanspamagazine.com

Clockwise from top left: the Portofino EVO from LEMI; sound technology is incorporated into a treatment; Living Earth Crafts’ Mind-Sync Harmonic Sleep Lounger

LEMI

LEMI’s stylish, comfortable and flexible treatment room furniture is 100 per cent made in Italy and carries the offer of lifetime assistance

What makes your equipment unique?

As a leader in the spa and beauty sectors for over 30 years, LEMI has always been committed to innovation – developing and improving our products to meet the latest consumer demands. We also guarantee certified quality through a 100% Made in Italy production cycle.

Sustainability has always been a crucial concept to us: 70% of our wooden equipment and treatment tables are manufactured using FSC-certified lumber from protected forests; our mattress covers are free of synthetic dyes and toxic materials; our packaging is currently 80% sustainable since it is made using wood and cardboard – only a small part is made using plastic and we are working to find alternatives that work.

This focus extends to the structure of the company itself: our production facility is equipped with photovoltaic panels and LED lighting systems and we provide our employees with fully electric vans.

What should spa operators look for when choosing new treatment room equipment?

Treatment rooms should be as relaxing as possible and be equipped to offer the most complete experience for spa guests. That is why LEMI products are designed to be flexible and multifunctional in order to increase the occupancy of the room regardless of the type of treatments being delivered. Our products feature aromatherapy and chromotherapy capabilities, anatomic/seamless or memory foam mattresses to ensure maximum comfort and Bluetooth systems to deliver relaxing music during treatments.

How do your products contribute to the wellbeing of therapists?

LEMI beds have a refined design from a safety point of view in order to improve working conditions for therapists. All our mattresses have perfectly rounded corners,

From top: the multifunctional Amalfi treatment bed; LEMI’s luxurious Portofino Evo

thus preventing the practitioner from bumping uncomfortably during the various phases of the treatment. Also, electric height adjustment allows therapists of different statures to maintain a correct posture during treatments. The structure of our beds is such that the practitioner can position their legs near them without hitting the base.

How do your products enhance the overall guest experience?

Since 2019 LEMI has been creating wellbeing experiences by adding specific protocols to our products that link up the professional skills of the therapist and the multifunctionality of our beds.

Through a collaboration with Jean-Guy de Gabriac, CEO of TIP TOUCH and founder of World Wellness Weekend, we developed two signature massages for our Spa Dream bed

– Ocean Dream for the water version and Sand Tide for the quartz bed. This led us also to enhance our Aemotio Spa, perhaps the most innovative of our products, with a new modular protocol that includes a massage named LEMILEMI.

These signature treatments allow spas to create unique and tailor-made experiences, making the most of the equipment and enhancing the total wellbeing experience.

How important is it for spas to keep their treatment room furniture up to date?

It is important because the equipment has a very significant impact on the guest’s experience. Spa guests spend a lot of time on the treatment bed – it is an integral part of the experience – so it must be reliable and durable in daily use without any problems. Its durability is also necessary to amortise the cost over a longer period.

What new product are you most excited to have introduced to the market?

Amalfi is a 360-degree multifunctional bed suitable for any type of high-level spa treatment, from face and body massages to manicures and high-level spa pedicures.

We know that pedicures are a very popular service in spa hotels and, as

equipment manufacturers, we have therefore worked to create a solution to meet the request to have the pedicure/manicure service inside the spa treatment room, without sacrificing extra space for a dedicated workstation.

Amalfi is perfect for smaller spas because it allows greater flexibility. It is a more ‘exposed’ bed compared to others: when used for pedicures it is not covered by sheets and is therefore more visible. This has enabled us to create a product with a unique and innovative design, using different materials such metal in gold or pink finishes to embellish the base. www.lemispa.com

FIVE REASONS TO INVEST

n 100% made in Italy We design, manufacture and control the entire production cycle of our treatment room equipment in our factory

n Up to 10 years’ warranty We offer one of the longest warranties on the market, providing up to ten years’ peace of mind

n LEMI Lifetime Assistance We can ensure spare parts and technical solutions after many years and at the end of the product’s life cycle

n Tailor-made service We are able to satisfy any customisation requirements, ensuring that the colour, size, and functional features of your equipment suit your specific requirements

n Over 30 years’ experience After three decades of business, LEMI can guarantee benefits that no one else in the market is able to offer

RECENT SPA PARTNERS

Biologique Recherche Ambassade, Los Angeles, USA

Beachbox Six Senses, Ibiza, Spain

Rosewood Le Guanahani St. Barth, Saint-Barth FWI

Bulgari Hotel, Milan, Italy

Hôtel Martinez, Cannes, France

General manager, LEMI Group

Matteo Brusaferri

From top: bespoke massage protocols have been developed for LEMI’s quartz-topped Spa Dream and Aemotio Spa beds

Gharieni Group

An international wellness technology leader, Gharieni Group’s high-end spa furniture and medical equipment is sold in more than 120 countries worldwide

What makes your equipment unique?

Fundamentally, 30 years of innovation and German engineering. The verified benefits of our mind/body wellness technologies are paving the way for the future of wellness, with the use of technology for hands-on and touchless experiences to enhance chronic disease prevention, mental fitness, and optimal wellbeing. These benefits have been driven by science and are backed by data.

What should spa operators look for when choosing new treatment room equipment?

As an investment, spa operators should choose the best quality they can afford, to offer uncompromised and seamless services. It also depends on the concept of the business. Multifunctionality would be an important consideration if space is an issue. But if your spa menu is highly specialised it’s important to choose equipment that offers the best function for your needs.

Why is multifunctionality so important? It extends the offering a spa can provide, it is efficient and saves time. Our 601 series spa table is a great example of this. It is recommended for facials, pedicures, manicures, massage, makeup and haircare. The guest doesn’t have to change rooms to move onto the next treatment.

This year we have expanded our existing portfolio to include the RLX Aurasens Experience Lounger, the RLX Satori Wellness Lounger, and the Augmented Massage.

How

do your products contribute to the wellbeing of therapists?

They are designed ergonomically for efficiency and comfort and their functionality is constantly being optimised. For instance, our Bluetooth foot switch eliminates the need for messy cables and leaves the therapist’s hands free to do their job. It really comes down to the smallest details.

Tell us about some of your innovations?

Our collection of mind/body wellness technologies has been hugely successful, including the MLX Quartz, MLX i³Dome, Welnamis, Celliss and Libra Edge.

The RLX Aurasens Experience Lounger has been designed to deliver a deeply immersive virtual-reality wellbeing experience. Wearing noise-cancelling headphones and experiencing pulsating haptic sensations, the user is transported to another dimension where landscape and dreamscape converge.

The RLX Satori Wellness Lounger provides a way to improve mental and physical wellbeing through full-body vibration and healing binaural beats. Some programmes are combined with voice-guided meditation, and brainwave patterns are guided to states of relaxation, meditation, sleep and optimum brain focus – without the need for a dedicated therapist.

From top: a sound treatment on the MLX Quartz at Aether Clinic in Prague, Czech Republic; the RLX Satori Wellness Lounger

Augmented Massage creates a completely new 21st century experience. This innovative motion-to-sound medium is groundbreaking in the world of spa and represents the ultimate merging of human touch and wellness technologies. Using sensors, the therapist’s movement upon the body generates live-sounds and music in real-time and the AI program interprets each new experience – resulting in a unique massage every time.

How important is it for spas to keep their treatment room furniture up to date?

Positioning in the highly competitive spa market is key. Both seasoned wellness seekers and novices will seek new treatments and therapies, so having the right equipment that looks exquisite and performs to the highest comfort of the guest is a must. Being up to date with the latest wellness trends and having treatment rooms expertly appointed is paramount.

From top: a Gharieni MLX i³Dome at the Johnstown Estate, Dublin, Ireland; a Welnamis treatment bed at the Cartesiano Urban Wellness Center in Puebla, Mexico

What trends do you see shaping the future of spa treatment delivery?

Firstly, the digital revolution is disrupting the wellness industry, so we need to deliver meaningful experiences and bespoke products and services that provide real value and align with what is truly important to customers.

Secondly, guests are seeking unique journeys, not just one-off treatments, and they expect mid to long-term benefits. We see medical wellness beginning to become positioned with greater prominence and gravitas. It is about the integration of a diversified menu of modalities and treatments – both alternative and allopathic – and the inclusion of a physician to foster a preventative lifestyle approach. www.gharieni.com

FIVE REASONS TO INVEST

n Innovation and authenticity We bring next-level experiences to spa guests, paving the way for the future of wellness

n Preventative benefits Gharieni’s mind/body wellness technologies are backed by scientific and clinical studies, providing guests with chronic disease prevention and mental fitness n 21st century wellness We bridge the gap between ancient healing practices and wellness technology, with a holistic mind-and-body approach that provides a key differentiator

n The best guest journeys Add value by providing spa guests with products and services combined with a fresh approach, delighting the senses and soothing mind, body, and soul

n Superior quality Our products are made in Germany to the highest standard – TÜV certified, the Forbes Travel Guide official brand for the fourth year in a row

RECENT SPA PARTNERS

Quellenhof See Lodge, South Tyrol, Italy

Fairmont Windsor Park, Egham, UK

CEO and founder, Gharieni Group

Sammy Gharieni

Raffles The Palm, Dubai, UAE

The Karl Lagerfeld, Macau, China Dr. Sturm, Miami, USA

Living Earth Crafts

What makes your equipment unique?

LEC’s ergonomic wellness equipment is designed for years of quiet, reliable, trouble-free use, featuring state-ofthe-art electronics, industrial-grade motors, the world’s finest hardwoods and commercial grade materials and finishes. Our products are made at our factory in Vista, California and are rigorously tested and backed by one of the industry’s best global warranties.

As a highly recognised manufacturer of premium spa and wellness equipment since 1973, LEC has led the industry in product innovation by marrying sustainable manufacturing, comfort, function and style. LEC has been voted ‘Favorite Treatment Table Manufacturer’ by American Spa readers an unprecedented total of 12 times.

What should spa operators look for when choosing new treatment room equipment?

Comfort, function and style. It’s also important to invest in multipurpose tables that help you to streamline and simplify your operations. For example, our Thermasoft Dual-Zone Embedded Table Warmer increases the ease with which sanitisation can be performed, which in turn provides quick room turnarounds.

when selecting a treatment couch?

We understand spas and their treatment menus, and we know our equipment is a tool to help them deliver multifaceted treatments that can maximise room revenue and flexible bookings. All our multipurpose tables achieve this goal.

Our versatile designs enable a broad range of spa and medi-spa treatments in a single room. LEC’s tables and loungers can be utilised for a host of modalities, from massage and aesthetic treatments to lashes, waxing, stretching and more.

How do your products contribute to the wellbeing of therapists?

All of our equipment is designed with the therapist in mind. Ease of use for day-to-day operations

We also incorporate both wired and wireless hand and foot controls to assist with seamless table operation. Anti-entrapment sensors are incorporated to protect therapists’ feet, while foot pedals allow therapists to concentrate on their clients without manual distraction.

Tell us about some of the innovations you are developing for your spa partners?

LEC’s Mind-Sync Harmonic Sleep Lounger is an unattended, zero-gravity treatment lounger designed to support stress and anxiety reduction and enhance restorative sleep states. The Mind-Sync Lounger combines clinically tested vibro-acoustic sound therapy with perfect zero-gravity positioning for accelerated guest restoration.

Six total immersion programmes between 25-60 minutes long utilise four powerful,

full spectrum transducers to flow Quantum Harmonic sound waves through the body. Meanwhile, noise-dampening headphones deliver two channels of proprietary brainwave entrainment frequencies. Masked by gentle music and nature sounds, these help override our sympathetic nervous system, responsible for the fight or

potential as both an add-on or stand-alone service and is perfect for use in relaxation areas and/or dedicated treatment rooms.

How do your products enhance the guest experience?

The spa client’s comfort is essential, and our luxurious, generous cushioning systems along with our distinctive Caress and Flex-Rest face cradle platforms ensure ultimate guest satisfaction. The optional Thermasoft Dual-Zone Embedded Table Warmer also keeps guests feeling cosy and warm to further enhance their satisfaction.

How important is it for spas to keep their treatment room furniture up to date?

With advances in technology and optional upgrades, treatment equipment has become more sophisticated. Options that were once considered amenities are now standard in many tables so if you leave it too long between upgrades your spa may fall behind in its ability to provide guests with the level of comfort and expertise they demand. Also, as the definition of wellness broadens, equipment to serve expanded treatment offerings is continually evolving, so it is important to stay up to date.

What new products are you most excited to have introduced to the market?

We have so many innovative offerings, including: the Insignia Multipurpose Treatment Table Collection; the sustainable replaceable Strata Cloudfill mattress; our ‘intelligent’ anti-entrapment Flo-Tech actuators; the Mind-Sync Harmonic Sleep Lounger; and our NuWave and NuWave S Loungers. We are constantly developing new products to serve the spa and wellness market.

What trends do you predict will shape the future of spa treatment delivery?

There is ever-greater demand for comprehensive wellness experiences that address the body, mind and spirit – from product offerings to treatment journeys and beyond – and this evolution will remain a key driver in the development of spa treatment room equipment. www.livingearthcrafts.com

FIVE REASONS TO INVEST

n An industry-best warranty Treatment room furniture is a major investment and for business peace of mind you need to know that your supplier is there to support you

n Comfort, function and style LEC products have been voted ‘Favorite Treatment Table Manufacturer’ by American Spa readers 12 times

n Multifunctional assistance Our versatile designs enable a broad range of spa and medi-spa treatments in a single room

n Improved therapist wellbeing The incorporation of wired and wireless controls means your spa team is freed up to focus on delivering the best personal service to their clients

n Constant innovation Wellness technology is evolving as rapidly as demand for treatments is growing, so it’s vital that you choose a supplier that offers state-of-the-art equipment

RECENT SPA PARTNERS

Rosewood Vienna, Austria

Azure Dream Day Spa, Arlington, USA

Auberge Wildflower, New York, USA

St. Regis Aspen, USA

Hotel Chaco, Albuerquerque, USA

Hyatt Rancho Pescadero, Mexico

Vice-president, Sales, Living Earth Crafts

Erica Coble

The NuWave S Lounger

Guide to festive retail ng

EDITED BY MARK SMITH

Winter is the most important retail time of the year for spas, presenting a range of opportunities to engage with customers, create events and up-sell products and treatments to boost profit margins.

From targeted merchandising to hosting festive events, marketing and sales programmes should connect with members and guests in a way that is personal and heartfelt, with messages of wellbeing and selfcare underpinning your sales strategy.

Gifts prove popular every year for the whole family, so allowing guests to touch, feel and experience products first hand is vital to creating an effective and experiental retail space. Spa operators looking to improve bookings during quieter months of the year will focus on enticing vouchers and promotional offers, while trends like sustainability, selfcare and social spa-ing also present opportunities to reach new audiences.

To help spa operators maximise their retailing opportunities, European Spa highlights the latest brand offerings and asks leading experts for their advice on how to maximise revenue at this important time of year.

ESPA: Christmas Wellness Gift Collection 2022

Leading with its iconic Wellness Luxury Advent Calendar, ESPA is embracing the ritual of wellness with its festive gifts this year. The calendar includes 25 luxurious full-size and deluxe minis, from invigorating cleansers to lavish creams and rich essential oils. Bath and body collections in signature blends are partnered with festive candles, reed diffusers, skincare, handcare and gifts for men.

www.espaskincare.com

There was a time when advent calendars were designed for children, with chocolates hidden behind cardboard windows. Today there is an advent calendar for everyone. For the beauty and wellness industry, advent calendars provide the opportunity to get 25 product samples into the hands of consumers and support interactive marketing content with the ‘unboxing’ of each door for 25 days.

Daniel Golby Managing director, ESPA

Expert Advice Festive retailing special

Expert Advice Festive retailing special

Natura Bissé: Holiday Glow

To celebrate moments of wellbeing and happiness, Natura Bissé has curated exclusive limited-edition sets that include the best-sellers of its most iconic, results-oriented anti-ageing lines. Its Diamond Extreme Rich and Light sets pair an age-defying moisturiser to suit any skin type with an eye contour cream from the range. The Essential Shock Intense set boasts a face cream as well as eye and lip treatments for total anti-ageing skincare. www.naturabisse.com

Now more than ever, we crave experiences that we can share with our loved ones. They are opportunities to discover, enjoy and create memorable moments. These experiences will linger on and go beyond treatments or products, and are a fantastic opportunity for spas. As unique experience curators, spas understand the importance of this time of the year and how to contribute to building extraordinary moments.

Albert Traveria UK managing director, Natura Bissé

Sothys: Joyeuses Fêtes

Christmas at Sothys takes on a Scandinavian theme, where the traditional green of the Christmas tree mingles in harmony with snow white and radiant gold on the brand’s autumn/winter 2022 makeup collection. The boxed gift sets include an additional gift for added value. A limited-edition body scrub trio joins a super-sized advent calendar and the Secrets de Sothys premium boxed collection. www.sothys.com

The festive season is a brilliant opportunity to maximise retail sales, incentivising not only the client but also therapists through a ‘festive incentive’. What has been proven to work time again is a tiered purchase incentive – the more the client spends, the more they can add as a complimentary gift, such as travel-size products, accessories, vanity bags, or even an express treatment as a gift with a purchase.

Victoria Dello Ioio UK sales director, Sothys

Thalgo: Bastide Spa

Inspired by the country houses of Saint-Tropez villages, Thalgo has themed its festive spa sets to reflect the beauty of the season in this region. Three stockings with beauty essentials for pre, during and post-holiday join two Discovery Beauty Houses that offer an introduction to the brand’s skin and bodycare. Ten different Bastide Spa Thalgo box sets address individual skin concerns. www.thalgo.co.uk

For Christmas merchandising, we would always recommend creating a specific retailing area themed with seasonal decorations. Christmas gifts should be displayed to enhance the attractiveness and value of the current offers. Shelf-talkers are also a great idea to draw the customers’ attention and guide them towards the products that are most suitable for their friends and family or for their personal needs.

Caroline Mahe-Lea Managing director, Thalgo UK

Elemental Herbology: Festive elements

Drawing on the five elements, Elemental Herbology presents a collection of aromatherapy-based body and skincare gift sets. Juniper Berry & Geranium Aromatherapy Body Duo cleanses and hydrates with body cream and body wash. The Perfect Balance Skin Collection features multi-acid facial pads, serum and moisturiser. Elemental Experience Body Oil collection features an oil for each element for the bath, shower or skin. www.elementalherbology.com

Offering gifting options with accessible price points is more important than ever. Value-saving gifts are a great place to start, giving customers more for their money or offering added value on their brand favourites. Having a variety of price points within your gifting range – from stocking fillers to larger items – can also be a great way to engage new and existing customers.

Carolyne Beck Managing director, Elemental Herbology

TempleSpa: Spread Your Wings and Fly

Inspired by the beauty, structure, texture and colour of feathers, TempleSpa presents its 2022 gift collection. The products feature something for everyone – from travel gift sets, including Spa Mini Break and Fresh Start, to bathing oils, candles and bath salts for home selfcare rituals. The hero collection is Absolute Truffle, a curated set of the brand’s iconic truffle skin care products. www.templespa.com

Experience and ritual-led gift boxes continue to peak customer interest by enhancing the customer journey and providing a more meaningful gesture. QR codes, post-purchase emails and ‘follow the routine’ cards inside the Christmas gift set are a brilliant way to encourage your customers to experience the treatment at home.

Sarah Ronchetti Head of spa, TempleSpa

Mii Cosmetics: Christmas Collection

For Christmas 2022, Mii Cosmetics has introduced three Intergalactic Eye Palettes, each containing a range of four highly pigmented metallics, mattes or frosted shades. The matte shades are formulated with kind-to-skin esters to provide a gentle, silky touch, while the frost and metallic shades contain a blend of natural jojoba, mimosa and sunflower wax for a frosted and metallic effect. www.miicosmetics.com

Offering a wide range of products at a variety of price points ensures that there is something for every client and every budget during the festive season. Beautifully packaged stocking fillers creatively displayed near the till point will help encourage impulse purchases and maximise your selling opportunities. By regularly refreshing your displays to showcase different gifts you’ll renew interest and appeal to different clients.

Jennifer Davies Head of marketing, Gerrard International

Gift a moment of wellbeing this Christmas

Essential oil blends that deliver moments of reset for the mind, body & skin. Featuring the world’s finest, most potent and pure essential oils sourced from sustainable growers. Taking inspiration from the Winter Solstice we have created magical moments of wellbeing with luxurious gifts for the mind, body and skin. Whether a small moment on the go in the Christmas rush or a full day of self care during festivities, make every wellbeing moment magical.

Dermalogica: A brighter Christmas

Putting facial skincare at the heart of its gifting concept in 2022, Dermalogica offers its best-selling products in curated sets for home and on-the-go. The Brighter Skin Set includes a full-size Biolumin-C Serum, Eye Gel and Gel Moisturiser. The Cleanse & Glow Set features full-size PreCleanse, Special Cleansing Gel and Daily Microfoliant. The Glowing Skin Set includes full-size Daily Glycolic Cleanser and Daily Microfoliant. www.dermalogica.co.uk

Some companies will add extra value to holiday kits, making them a more desirable offering than individual products, so it is important when retailing to clients to know the total saving and value of the kit versus it’s actual RRP. Additionally, clients are looking for satisfaction and to thrill the recipient they are purchasing for, so ensure you drive excitement by noting the value of the kit, the synergy of the way in which products work as a routine, and also highlight the benefit of each individual product within the kit.

Sally Penford Sales director, Dermalogica

Decléor: Essential Oils Collection

Inviting people to reconnect with themselves through ‘me moments’, selfcare and the concept of giving are at the heart of Decléor’s gift collection for 2022. Green Mandarin Christmas Collection offers skin a natural glow with three iconic products. Lavender Fine Christmas Collection includes a lavender oil, balm and lifting cream. Neroli Body Christmas Collection includes body milk, light day cream and shower gel. www.decleor.co.uk

Make things easy for your staff when it comes to holiday gifting. Create a gifting guide with easy-to-follow packages, including three to four options at maximum. Offer low, medium, and high price points with a few customisable options. Provide one simple promotion for added value to support your staff when up-selling to a higher price point.

Michelle Cochrane Omni channel education manager, Decléor

Esse: Limited Edition Festive Pack

Esse skincare has embraced sustainability, ethics and wellbeing for its limited-edition gift set to rejuvenate the face and body. The brand’s Festive Pack contains a 150ml Body Cleanser and two hyaluronic acid-boosted Sensitive Face Masks. The pH-balanced body cleanser features charcoal to aid detoxification, nourishing marula oil, and prebiotic baobab extract to maintain the balance in the microbiome, protecting and hydrating the skin. www.esseskincare.com

With the festive season comes the time-old tradition of resolutions – the impetus to make the coming year the best it can possibly be, with the best versions of ourselves steering the course. Giving loved ones the chance to improve their skin health will ensure they are putting their best face forward to welcome what 2023 brings.

Paula Behrens Head of spa, Esse

Elemis: Skincare Stories

Presenting a comprehensive gift collection for 2022, Elemis leads with Pro-Collagen Skincare Stories. This set includes full-size versions of Pro-Collagen Energising Marine Cleanser, Cleansing Balm, Marine Cream (100ml), Eye Revive Mask and Marine Oil. With skincare favourites curated into themed selections every need is catered for. From bath and body to men’s travel sets and a Skin Wellness Advent Calendar, Elemis has a gift for all. www.elemis.com

Our skin has a story and it’s constantly changing, especially during the busy festive seasons when we’re constantly adding in new chapters. We wanted a way to capture these different moments in our curated kits and build a library filled with ‘Skincare Stories.’ This way people can easily reference our beautiful collections and find something that’s perfect for everyone on their list.

Noella Gabriel, global president and co-founder, Elemis

Gaia: A natural gifting choice

Natural and sustainable, Gaia has three unique gifts in its festive collection for 2022. The Mini Vegan set offers a range of products for the face and body. Designed for mums-to-be, the Mother Gaia set includes a skin-nurturing body oil and nourishing tummy balm. The Naturally Range set boasts a face mask that gently purifies and soothes the skin, vitamin-rich face serum to repair and rejuvenate, and a jade roller. www.gaiaskincare.com

Christmas gifts sets are a great way to encourage new rituals and routines. Incorporating tools such as gua’sha, a jade roller or crystals creates a more meaningful gift, introducing new techniques and different ways to use their skincare products at home. Packaging different products together gives people the opportunity to try something they may not have considered before.

Diane Nettleton Founder, Gaia

Germaine de Capuccini: Feel the Magic

Encouraging people to fully embrace the magic of Christmas, Germaine de Capuccini presents gifts for the family. The Golden Hours sets contain hero products from the Timexpert Rides, Timexpert Radiance, Timexpert SRNS, Timexpert White and Excel Therapy 02 ranges, with options to choose a favourite moisturiser. The collection also includes mini gifts and luxury bodycare sets. www.germaine-de-capuccini.co.uk

There is enormous benefit to selling gift vouchers in the run-up to Christmas. As consumers we often scratch our heads to know what to buy a loved one or colleague. A beautifully wrapped voucher can be just the answer. Not only does it provide a wonderful treat for someone, but that someone can go on to become a loyal customer.

Gina Baker UK training manager, Germaine de Capuccini

Expert Advice Festive retailing special

DEEPER SIDE OF

Murad: The Derm Report

Bringing science to seasonal gifting, Murad’s skincare kits showcase iconic best-sellers. Its Brighter, More Radiant Skin set tackles dark spots and pigmentation with Essential C Cleanser and Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum. The Smoothing and Quenching Skin set is hydrating and skin-smoothing with an exfoliating cleanser, moisturiser and serum. While Getting that Post-Facial Glow draws on the brand’s vitamin C line for radiant skin, the Instant Line and Firming Fixes delivering retinol-grade products for great skin. www.murad.co.uk

This year, spa businesses should be focusing their retail strategy on communicating excellent value and highlighting the benefits of clinically proven skincare to their clients. We’re seeing that many customers are purchasing festive gift sets for themselves, so this should also be a key element of your retail plan, perhaps promoting the concept of self-gifting in communications too.

Emily Maben Marketing director, Murad UK

Grown Alchemist: Holiday 2022

Presented in stunning modern gift boxes, Grown Alchemist has launched its festive gifts for the season. The Good Morning and Good Night Skincare Kits include hero products from the brand’s range, such as Hydra Restore Cream Cleanser and Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser for double cleanse rituals, and targeted products for the beginning and end of the day. Other gifts nurture the hands, face and body with essential products. www.grownalchemist.com

Unplanned impulse purchases at Christmas are typically driven by look and feel, product performance, savings and customer experience. People are looking specifically for luxe, gorgeous gift sets and festive products with added value. However, to win over Christmas shoppers during such a busy time, testers, samples and excellent customer care is also key.

Harrison Gregory General manager, UK and EMEA, Grown Alchemist

commitment to sustainability is at the forefront of our minds whenever we make the decision to work with a new supplier. Looking only at the UK beauty market I’m happy that in GAIA we’ve finally found our luxury spa partner with sustainability at its heart”

Williams, General Manager, Whatley Manor

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Aromatherapy Associates: The ultimate collection

Taking inspiration from the winter solstice, the Aromatherapy Associates Christmas range features carefully curated, beautifully designed gifts that tread as lightly on the planet as possible. The iconic Atomiser waterless diffuser is a popular present, partnered with the limited-edition Winter Wellbeing Essential Oil featuring lemon, orange and sweet davana to uplift the senses. The Ultimate Collection Hamper is the largest offering full of best-selling products. Elsewhere sleep and grounding gift sets envelop people in the magic of aromatherapy. www.aromatherapyassociates.com

From our customer data we know that Christmas 2022 will see sustainability continue to be at the forefront of shoppers’ minds. Consumers will look for plastic-free sustainable wrappings where possible. Equally high on their agenda will be gifting to themselves, to take a moment to reset and rebalance their wellbeing during the busy festive period.

Anna Teal CEO, Aromatherapy Associates

Voya: Show Stoppers Festive Collection

Voya shines a spotlight on the beauty and art of gifting with a collection designed to bring customers festive joy through environmentally conscious gifts from the sea. For the ultimate bathing ritual, Comfort and Joy combines the seaweed bath, soap bar and festive room spray. Sparkle and Shine pairs

Squeaky Clean body wash with Time to Shine body scrub and a body brush. A seasonal spiced candle and Christmas bauble with essence oil complete the collection. www.voya.ie

The post-pandemic demand for wellbeing experiences has increased the demand for selfcare and eco-conscious gifts. More than ever, consumers are looking to buy wellness-oriented and experiential gifts that provide a longer-term benefit. This Christmas we can all bring awareness to what we purchase by considering the impact of gifting and ensuring that it’s more than the thought that counts.

Mark Walton CEO and co-founder, Voya

OTO CBD: Christmas of Dreams

OTO’s Gift of Dreams has been designed in exclusive partnership with Mandarin Oriental. The gift includes seven iconic products to promote great sleep as well as an hour-long OTO Signature Renewal Massage at the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park in London. The Dream Sleep Set includes Pillow Mist, Balance Roll On, a journal and CBD Sleep Drops. The Radiance Facial Kit includes Cleansing Jam Exfoliator with a day cream, serum and gua’sha stone. www.otocbd.com

Christmas is when people often think about wellness, as they have the time, and gift sets with a selection of items are the easiest pick for your client. Creating a Christmas event, showcasing wellness tips and techniques with a selection of gift sets to purchase on the night should be a sell-out.

The Organic Pharmacy: Candy Swirl

Inspired by candy-cane sweets, The Organic Pharmacy has re-imagined its holiday gift sets with a fresh feel featuring a simple, yet unique design. With a major focus on skincare, the sets include star performers from the brand’s organic line. Stand-out gifts include Brighten and Glow Christmas Set for firmer, brighter, radiant skin; Intense Moisture Boost Christmas Set is a serum and mask duo for supreme moisturisation; Essential skincare kits and makeup collection completes the offering.

www.theorganicpharmacy.com

Going for organic and sustainable beauty is a way of preserving our planet. Organic biodegradable formulas are kind to the Earth, while cold-water processes and plastic-free packaging reduce carbon emissions – they are also better for your skin and wellbeing. Offering organic beauty is the conscious move you want to follow this Christmas!

Anne-Lise Lefebvre Head of marketing, The Organic Pharmacy

stellar spa openings

European Spa spotlights the best new and refurbished spas that have boldy invested for the future

REPORT BY WENDY GOLLEDGE

As the post-pandemic demand for wellness continues to accelerate, and with the continued rise in take-up of spa services, European Spa explores ten innovative new properties that are moving the goalposts in the fields of design, wellness offering and brand partnerships.

These forward-looking businesses, many conceived and built during the pandemic, are answering a call for greater all-round sustainability and preventative healthcare as well as beauty and wellness, and for a personalised service that goes far beyond a cookie-cutter approach.

Whether it’s the Spa at Breedon Priory’s game-changing sustainability initiatives or Helvetia & Bristol’s unique recreation of Roman baths in a contemporary setting, all ten of our featured spas are contributing new concepts and reshaping how spa, health and wellness can be integrated. Enjoy our tour of spas to watch...

Holistic meets high-tech

The Maybourne Riviera, France

Set high on a cliff top with views across the Côte d’Azur, the newly unveiled spa at the 69-room Maybourne Riviera, part of the Maybourne Hotel Group, draws together ancient ceremonies, restorative bodywork and the latest in bio-innovation to amplify guests’ emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing.

Offering personalised treatments to complement high-performance lifestyles, the spa has been designed by internationally acclaimed André Fu, who’s currently working on the new Claridge’s Spa in London.

“Inspired by the meandering coastline and fluidity of the ocean, I sought to bring a calm tranquillity into my design, crafting a compelling setting by juxtaposing the

shapes and textures of the rocks outside the hotel with contrasting curving and sculptured walls,” he says of the French project.

A unique treatment offering Opened in June 2022, eight treatment rooms are accompanied by a steam room, sauna, relaxation terrace and beauty and hair space. The spa is connected by a staircase to the hotel’s infinity pool.

When it comes to treatments, three standout facials have been delivered by science-backed Augustinus Bader, while FaceGym makes its debut in France, offering its signature workouts that tone facial muscles and lift the skin using a combination of cryotherapy,

radiofrequency and Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS).

“We’ve worked on a very unique treatment menu to offer the most magical experience to our guests,” says spa manager Alice Peyret. “Take our Comme sur un Nuage treatment: first you enter into a magnificent cabin with a sea view, which is already like being among the clouds. Then you lie down on a hot water mattress, which envelops you while fluid manoeuvres and deep strokes encourage you to completely let go. It is like being on a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean – a cocoon of luxury and serenity.”

SPA STATISTICS

A world of rituals

SPA STATISTICS

Cleopatra Spa, Cap St Georges www.capstgeorges.com

capstgeorgeshotelresort

Size: 2,585sqm

Spa suppliers and product partners: La Maison Valmont, Cinq Mondes, Kypwell, Alma Spa

Cleopatra Spa, Cyprus

Part of a new 202-room five-star luxury resort on the southwest side of the Akamas Peninsula in Paphos, Cleopatra Spa opened in June 2022 with eight treatment rooms, a VIP sensory lounge and two VIP couples’ suites.

Named after Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, who was once gifted the island, the spa’s facilities include an indoor spa pool, hydrotherapy whirlpool and cold plunge pools as well as thermal saunas, steam rooms, aromatherapy experience showers and signature rasul mud chambers.

Treatments are inspired by rituals performed around the globe, from North Africa and Arabia to Polynesia, Thailand, Bali, India and the Alps. The Akamas Journey is inspired by the resort’s location, while Secrets of a Legendary Beauty is a Cleopatra-inspired bathing ritual that includes a milk hydrotherapy bath with local bio honey.

Making dreams come true

The vision of spa designer Kyriacos Parpas and architect Andreas Patsalides, Cleopatra Spa is a sanctuary clad in Verde Guatemala green marble.

Conceptualised as a leading lifestyle destination, spa manager Maria Kouppa says: “Our goal is to make guests’ dreams come true, using ultra-premium products from the world’s most luxurious and results-driven brands.

“We are striving for a more holistic approach to wellness by offering treatments and experiences both for the body and soul. Cleopatra Spa has the most expansive private VIP spa area in Cyprus – a refuge offering the ultimate in discreet indulgence.”

A sustainable vision

The Spa at Breedon Priory, UK

The contemporary new Spa at Breedon Priory in Derbyshire, owned by Elaine and Graham Blunt, opened in June 2022, offering guests an ecologically focused and exclusive wellness retreat. As well as its Tranquillity gardens – designed by Lush Garden Design – and Vitality and Infinity Relaxation pools, there are seven treatment rooms, including a couples’ room, plus a Wellbeing Suite with six thermal experiences.

The spa also offers experience showers, an ice fountain and several thermal cabins supplied by Anapos, offering various heat strengths. There is also a ‘pure’ relaxation room, a quiet slumber lounge and a second relaxation area.

SPA STATISTICS

The Spa at Breedon Priory www.breedonprioryspa.co.uk thespabreedonpriory

Size: 3,400sqm

Spa suppliers and product partners: Temple Spa, Tribe517, Pinks Boutique, Proverb, Anapos, Unique Pool, Curveline, BC SoftWear, Ellisons, Akula Living, Spa Vision, Coco Wolf, Crown Lockers, Paragon Oak, Epicuri, Jeremy Hastings (water features), Graeme Mitcheson, ADA Cosmetics, Florence Roby

A further standout feature, designed by architects YMD Boon, is the private ‘Hideaway’ spa within the spa, an intimate space that offers exclusive treatments, a lounge and a secluded terrace with a hot tub and fire pit.

“The Spa at Breedon Priory’s philosophy is to be a sanctuary where guests can completely relax,” says spa director Jemma Whitney. “We recognise that space is luxury and limit our capacity to ensure exclusivity. Every detail offers our guests somewhere to do nothing other than focus on themselves.”

A sustainable spa

The spa has been constructed with sustainability at its core. When it comes to water, the property has its own source in the form of a borehole over 85m below ground, which means the facility is self-sustaining in this respect. An air source heat pump and heat recovery unit work alongside high-spec insulation to help the building achieve 96% energy efficiency.

In addition to a guarantee of no single-use plastics, fully compostable, complimentary cosmetic items are made available in the changing rooms and there are ambitious plans to plant a kitchen garden to further boost the spa’s sustainability credentials.

Inspired by nature

Adler Spa Resort, Sicily

Sicily’s latest spa destination, the 90-room Adler Spa Resort sits on a secluded plateau overlooking the island’s southern-most coastline. Built according to the principles of bio architecture, the dispersive single-storey buildings are designed to have minimal impact on the landscape.

Sustainably is at the resort’s core: many interior walls are clad in natural unbaked Sicilian clay, which promotes natural humidity control, and floors are finished with Opus Signinum, an ecological material made from minutely crushed bricks and lime mortar. A cutting-edge heat pump recovers and redistributes energy within the resort.

A sense of balance

Opened on July 7 this year, the large spa complex features three specialist pools – a freshwater infinity pool, a saltwater hydromassage pool and a thalassotherapy area – as well as 15 treatment rooms with views of the gardens and the Mediterranean Sea.

The spa’s ethos centres around a sense of lightness and light-heartedness, providing a balanced environment in which each sense is indulged to help guests embody the brand’s ‘let your soul fly’ motto.

Designed by the Sanoner family and architect Hugo Demetz, the spa also features a 25m sports pool, a secluded garden yoga platform and three independent saunas – Turkish, bio and Finnish – plus relaxation, spa and fitness, and wellbeing zones.

“The spa is flooded with natural light, which creates a feeling of being close to nature,” says spa manager Giulia Ciccarello Spitaleri. “This is enhanced by cedarwood interiors with patterns that represent Sicily’s ancient Arabic culture.

“Water is the key element connecting the spa interior to the gardens; a small river flows through the spa and to reach the cabins guests must cross a bridge. We’ve also introduced typical Sicilian ingredients, such as local essential oils of lemon, mandarin and prickly pear, many of which are made by local artisans.”

SPA STATISTICS

Sequoia Spa at The Grove, UK

Set in 300 acres of rolling countryside in Hertfordshire, Sequoia Spa at The Grove unveiled a £1.6 million (€1.8 million) refurbishment of its spa and wellness facilities in July 2022. The six-month project, led by design team StudioJill has transformed the facilities for members and guests, beginning with with a new-look reception lounge area. Its iconic black mosaic-tiled swimming pool remains the star attraction, enhanced by new thermal facilities including two experience showers and an upgraded poolside steam room and sauna.

A sauna and steam room have also been added in the male changing area and an additional wellness pool has been incorporated into the women’s changing space. An updated treatment programme has been introduced with all therapies lasting 80 minutes as standard.

The outdoor spa terrace has been refurbished, leading onto a new members’ lounge. The dining areas have been expanded and given a chic makeover using warm, earthy tones to create a relaxing modern space filled with natural light flowing in from above.

Time to escape

The low slung dining tables at Sequoia Kitchen are contemporary and elegant and the menu features healthy options including poke bowls and wraps, smoothies and fresh juices.

Bringing the outside in With orange and yellow shades, along with splashes of fresh greens, these spaces reflect the natural world and bring the outside in. Low-level, soft lighting has been used to great effect, creating a gentle glow throughout. A compact outdoor dining area adds another dimension to the nature-inspired spa.

“The refurbishment of Sequoia Spa is extremely exciting and will continue to enhance the experience for both spa members and guests of The Grove,” says spa director Debbie Rogers. “Throughout the spa, warm earthy tones have been used, contributing to the peaceful, nature-inspired ambience. Natural materials feature as part of The Grove’s ongoing goal to bring together the beautiful gardens, outstanding interiors and superb spa facilities.”

SPA STATISTICS

Sequoia Spa at The Grove www.thegrove.co.uk

thegrovehotel

Size: 3,086sqm

Spa suppliers and product partners: BC Softwear, Richard Haworth, Technogym, Advanced pools, Anapos, Inline London, ESPA, Nature Bissé, Twist, StudioJill, Silvera, Potrana, Mos Design, B&B Italia, Vincent Sheppard, Gloster, Robert Langford, Vaughan Lighting, Tollgard

SPA STATISTICS

AmberRose Spa www.loch-lomond.co.uk/spa www.linkedin.com/company/ lodgeonlochlomond Size: 180sqm Spa suppliers and product partners: Barr+Wray, Germaine de Capuccini, Inchmurrin Group, Proflow, Diamond Air Conditioning, ESL (chairs and benches), Porcelanosa

AmberRose Spa at Lodge on

Loch Lomond, UK

The 48-room Lodge on Loch Lomond expanded its facilities this June to encompass the AmberRose Spa. Designer Ann Colquhoun and Andrea Roberts Organic Architecture have reconfigured the hotel’s old swimming pool space, which was rarely used, to create a spa that’s pitching to rival some of the best destination spas in Scotland.

The name of the spa is taken from the first names of both of the owners children, Amber and Rose, who provided a unique piece of artwork for the reception area. Facilities include two treatment rooms, dedicated manicure and pedicure stations, and a thermal suite. Providing panoramic views over Loch Lomond, the suite offers a two-person rasul mud chamber for touchless treatments, an aroma steam room, hot and cold showers, a Himalayan salt sauna, a herbal sauna and heated relaxation loungers.

Meeting the demand for wellness

“I’ve been working with the Lodge for several years, as prior to the spa being created I was a mobile therapist delivering in-room treatments for hotel guests,” says AmberRose spa manager Correen Scott. “Market research confirmed there was demand for a separate spa space and there’s no doubt the new facilities enhance the overall guest experience.

“It was a very difficult decision to lose the swimming pool but already the introduction of therapeutical treatments and facilities has seen a strong bookings trend from leisure guests. The spa team is settling in well and looking forward to building on the early momentum with a strong season ahead.”

Loch Lomond magic

SPA STATISTICS

Helvetia & Bristol, Italy

https://collezione.starhotels.com/en/ our-hotels/helvetia-and-bristol-florence laspahelvetiabristol

Size: 540sqm

Spa suppliers and product partners: Cinq Mondes, Aquaform, Lemi, 100%YOU (uniforms and towels)

La Spa, Helvetia & Bristol Firenze, Italy

Anew wellbeing retreat in the heart of Florence, La Spa at Helvetia & Bristol opened in April 2022. Featuring an extended hydrothermal zone that opens onto a caldarium and continues with an aquamotus (Vichy shower), there are also emotional showers, a sudatorium (Finnish sauna), a frigidarium and a tepidarium (salt room).

The Lacus Quietis offers two pools with water features, built in a space that once served as the vault of the Banco di Roma. The hydro circuit leads to an upper floor with three rooms for individual treatments, including a wellness suite that is equipped with a private Turkish bath.

History meets the modern day

The philosophy of La Spa is modelled on the origins of the site itself – a union of the historical and the contemporary. Inspired by the Latin principle of mens sana in corpore sano it recreates the experience of a Roman baths in a contemporary setting. The spa is located on the spot where the Capitoline Baths of the Roman city of Florentia once stood, fragments of whose walls can still be seen along the wellness circuit. bbspa Group and Starhotels’ architects Silvia Stoppacciaro and Francesca La Rosa have chanelled a minimalist and modern vision of the historic Roman bathing tradition.

“Being in the heart of Florence is already magical – especially in a building with such a rich history – but bringing back to life the ancient Roman bathing traditions is what makes this project so unique,” says Régis Boudon-Doris, founder and CEO of bbspa Group.

Honouring Roman bathing

Wellbeing and fun

SPA STATISTICS

Signet Spa, The Retreat at Elcot Park www.retreatelcotpark.com retreatelcotpark

Size: 500sqm

Spa suppliers and product partners: Vincent Sheppard, Spa Creators, RHA, ila, Gharieni, Taylor and Turner interior designers, Matrix (gym equipment)

Signet Spa, The Retreat at Elcot Park, UK

Wellness and fitness go hand in hand in The Retreat at Elcot Park’s new Signet Spa. There are facilities to suit guests seeking an active visit as well as those wishing for rest and relaxation.

In addition to an infinity heated outdoor swimming pool with views of the north Wessex downs, there is an indoor vitality pool with bubbling loungers, water massage cannons and a reflexology volcano.

Heat experiences come in the form of a Himalayan sauna and an aroma essence steam room, a salt flotation chamber, drench showers, in addition to a relaxation area and three treatment rooms. The offer is completed by a gym, fitness studio, tennis courts and a hair and nail salon.

A fun take on wellness

Yoga and Pilates classes are held in the studio and, when weather permits, outside in the tranquil walled garden or under the age-old oak trees.

“The Signet Spa is a retreat within The Retreat,” says spa manager Kirsty Pienaar. “Since we opened in the newly re-imagined 18th-century country house hotel in May 2022, our focus has been wellness, but always with a side order of fun.

“We like our guests and members to kick back and relax – our focus is always on wellbeing – but we don’t like to take ourselves too seriously. Clients can always have a cocktail at the bar in 1772 or an afternoon tea in the Orangery to balance it all out!”

beverley.sparcstudio.co.uk

www.sparcstudio.co.uk

THE WELLNESS REVOLUTION

Myrtha Wellness creates, engineers and manufactures sustainable products that delight the clientele.

Myrtha modular panels technology are the epitome of ‘Made in Italy’ thermal bathing wellness products.

www.myrthawellness.com

www.myrthawellness.com

Borgo Lanciano Resort & Spa

C

Talbooth

Spa suppliers and product partners: Elemis, The GelBottle, OPI, Nouveau Lashes, NovaLash, Lycon, delilah, OXYjet, Lipology, 4T Medical, Loggique, Benchmark Furniture, Andrew Martin, Barlow Tyrie, Spa Vision, The Contract Chair Company, Elite Yacht Covers

Talbooth House & Spa, UK

Boutique hotel Talbooth House – previously known as Maison Talbooth – has added a new spa to complement its 12 individually designed rooms, which are each named after English poets.

An extension to the Pool House complex and the brainchild of Geraldine Milsom, director of Milsom Hotels, who worked alongside Stanley Bragg architects, the spa opened in April of this year. Among the new facilities to greet guests are a heated outdoor swimming pool, hot tub, log-burning fire and three new poolside treatment rooms, taking the total to six.

A truly bespoke offering

“The Pool House had so much potential, but in its former state it was completely underutilised,” says Milsom. “While the main house is a traditional country pile, the custom-designed spa is a thoroughly modern affair. We have found that, post-pandemic, guests seem to have a heightened focus on the balance and importance of wellness, and people have flocked to use it.”

Harriet Baverstock, Talbooth’s spa manager, adds: “What makes us so different is that our therapists provide very bespoke treatments, tailored to every individual guest. Everyone gets the experience that works for them, whether that’s informative, relaxing or invigorating.

“I think there will be a growing focus on tailor-made packages in spas going forward, with guests moving to more experience-based spending. We wanted to get ahead of that demand.”

A sensory journey

Spa at Lion Quays Resort, UK

The Spa at Lion Quays was refurbished in 2021, reopening complete with a 20m swimming pool, steam room, sauna, hydro pool and sanarium. Its new halotherapy room, designed by Spa Creators, is the first in the UK to be equipped with swinging heated loungers.

As well as nine treatment rooms, three exclusive suites offer either a spa pool, barrel sauna or cedar hot tub. Each has a private treatment space and accordion walls that enable the creation of one giant suite for large groups when needed. Further facilities, including a Moroccan room, Russian banya and Arctic snow room, are set to be added to the property, with a Japanese Sento bath house due to open in spring 2023

Re-energise, restore, rebalance and rejuvenate

With a streamlined menu of packages available, the Spa at Lion Quays specialises in non-contact treatments and has invested in a salt flotation tank and four Weyron massage chairs as well as a mud rasul chamber and a Gharieni Welnamis binaural acoustic and dynamic stimulation system.

“We very deliberately only offer four main spa packages – Re-energise, Restore, Rebalance and Rejuvenate,” says Sarah Griffiths, spa and wellness manager for LQ Resorts. “We ask guests to simply pick how they want to feel and each package is tailored to ensure they leave with that feeling, even down to the herbal tea we give them to drink.

“What I feel we excel at is wellness and oneness – being at peace with yourself. From dark relaxation rooms to our many sensory experiences, Lion Quays is an exploration of indulgence.”

sales@voya.ie

SPA STATISTICS

Spa at Lion Quays www.lionquays.co.uk

lionquayshotel Size: 3,000sqm

Spa suppliers and product partners: Spa Creators, Gharieni, Elemis, Jessica, Weyron Massage Chairs, Chemcare, Topline, Trowbridge Gallery artwork

Your next treatment.

With expert knowledge and unbeatable service, you can count on Ellisons to make your next spa treatment a success.

Ellisons offer an extensive range of leading spa treatments, including Saltability® Himalayan salt stone massage. Renowned for their health and wellbeing benefits, the mineral rich stones offer clients an indulgent alternative to traditional hot stone massage.

Target clients’ Tsing and Source points to create balance and calm, help to stimulate the circulatory system and soothe inflammation while lightly exfoliating the skin. Whether you aim to take your clients on a sensory journey or promote complete sleep and relaxation, our beautifully crafted stones allow you to turn your desired treatment experience into reality.

Uniquely flexible, we combine theory and practical knowledge with personalised support from our highly experienced education team. Our accredited online training programme delivers a seamless introduction to your treatment menu, developing therapists’ skills to enable them to deliver a flawless client experience.

Make the most of our years’ of experience and contact your dedicated Spa Partner team to discuss your vision in more detail:

E: spapartner@ellisons.co.uk

spapartner@ellisons.co.uk

T: +44 (0)24 7636 9114

Find out how we can add value to your next spa project by reading our Spa guide at www.ellisons.co.uk/spaguide

ellisons.co.uk

www.ellisons.co.uk

Spa Spotlight WOMAD Spa by Thirteen33

Clockwise from top left: the itinerary for a super spa Sunday at WOMAD 2022; night time in the Spa Lounge tent; festival co-founder Peter Gabriel marks the event’s 40th anniversary; Saturday headliners The Flaming Lips on stage

A festival of wellbeing

European Spa sets up camp at WOMAD Spa, a unique experience created by wellness consultancy Thirteen33 each year at the world famous music event in Wiltshire

REPORT BY SARAH CAMILLERI

Photography: Finlay Apps

This summer saw the joyous return of festivals and events after two hard years of pandemic restrictions. In the UK, the world-famous WOMAD festival put on a kaleidoscope of music, arts, dance and wellbeing to celebrate its 40th anniversary, attracting 40,000 festival goers to Charlton Park in Wiltshire.

WOMAD has always been a force for good with wellbeing at its very heart. Multiple generations of families and friends gather at one of the most inclusive music events, which has now staged 300 festivals around the world since 1982, featuring over 10,000 artists. The brainchild of musician Peter Gabriel, co-founder Stephen Pritchard and festival director Chris Smith present a rich, immersive world of creative music, art, dance and wellbeing.

One of the most welcome experiences at the event is WOMAD Spa, a haven of tranquility purpose-built by spa consultancy Thirteen33 to offer escape and repose right in the heart of the festival.

Pop-up spa magic WOMAD Spa is as impressive in size as it is in ambience. Constructed by the festival team each year, its spa tents and secured garden are then handed over to the Thirteen33 team, who transform it into a working spa with all the nurturing and luxury touches you would expect. As the 79-strong spa team arrive, they are briefed and trained with military precision for four days of intensive spa operations.

“WOMAD Spa is our way to sow the seeds of wellness – to really connect with people and deliver a wonderful festival experience,” explains

This page from top: Steph Crosby and Caroline Cornish of Thirteen33; some the WOMAD Spa team, assembled from freelance practitioners who are trained on site

Thirteen33’s Steph Crosby, who works in partnership with co-founder Caroline Cornish. “The guest journey is exactly what you would expect to find in any spa. You arrive at reception, take off your shoes, check in and enjoy all the luxurious spa touches we can deliver.”

Answering a growing demand for comfort and luxury wellness services, WOMAD Spa has become a top draw at the festival. “The WOMAD team took a leap of faith with us to try something innovative. They recognised that their audience has a changing demographic that would be receptive to more wellbeing, but with a luxury edge. We have been given the creative freedom to develop the concept, create a magical space and manage the spa throughout the event,” says Crosby.

Showers, sarongs and straighteners

WOMAD Spa operates from 7am to midnight every day throughout the festival, welcoming Spa Pass holders who drop in to shower, recuperate and enjoy its menu of treatments. This year, 500 Spa Passes were sold, keeping the venue in constant swing.

“From an operational perspective you have to be totally on it,” smiles Crosby. “We have all the same operational issues of a normal spa but with the added challenge of being right in the middle of a field. Our guests can simply disappear! We also have significant work to do to keep the treatment schedule on track, the showers spotlessly clean and manage our team shifts.”

Past the reception area, the spacious Spa Lounge tent serves as a central hub for guests to enjoy all day and into the evening, offering plenty of places to sit, sleep and gather for drinks. Strewn with yoga mats, rugs and plants, this central zone also has a wellness bar and a retail boutique.

Outside, the spa has well-managed washing facilities featuring a bank of immaculate showers and WCs, which are a big daily draw: washed down after every use, they are well stocked with shampoo, conditioner and shower gel from award-winning organic skincare brand ila. Guests are given their own WOMAD sarong and a biodegradable Scrummi towel, as well as full access to a beautifully presented salon zone set up under more canvas. Every detail has been thought of here – even down to hair straighteners.

Away from the main spa area and shielded by trees, guests can enjoy a soak in one of three red cedar hot tubs or work up a sweat in the wood-fired barrel sauna run by bathing specialists Bathing Under The Sky. In the tranquil Sala yoga tipi they can attend a whole host of

Spa Spotlight WOMAD Spa by Thirteen33

educational wellbeing workshops and classes that run throughout the day.

Wellbeing for all WOMAD Spa’s treatment tent offers nine rooms and a capsule collection of wellbeing rituals developed with Tea & Tonic founder, wellness expert Sarah Strang.

“Tea & Tonic was the perfect choice for WOMAD – our guests get to enjoy a cup of wellness tea as they relax in the spa, and the choice of oils for treatments means they can curate their journey,” says Crosby.

“Sarah has created a very unique and exciting product range for both the guests and the therapists, with the use of medicinal herbs and adaptogens not only in the topical products but also the teas, so we are able to recommend wellness products that bring you back into balance from the inside out.”

In addition, Thirteen33 works to champion exciting new wellbeing brands, and several are available for guests to try at WOMAD Spa. “London Nootropics’ adaptogenic coffees were so well received by our spa guests this year,” says Crosby. “The concept of adaptogens and mushrooms is now becoming more familiar, with many of our guests loving the idea that their daily coffee will also bring them back into balance. There is a natural synergy between adaptogens and

This page from above: WOMAD Spa provides a world of wellbeing under canvas; a festival-goer takes time out for a soothing massage

caffeine, which means you don’t get the spike in energy, its more sustained throughout the day.”

EthicaCBD Sports Gel is also on hand to soothe guests who have been on their feet dancing and wandering around the festival site. “It has accompanied us to all our festival events this year as we have found no other product relieves pain so quickly,” says Crosby. “It sold out every time as it’s a perfect substitute for taking ibuprofen for inflammation – brilliant for aching feet, tense muscles and cooling the body down.”

Championing therapists

Thirteen33’s unique approach to building successful spa teams is testament to their understanding of what holistic therapists want.

“Often being a spa therapist can be lonely and isolating with much time spent in single treatment rooms all day, but there’s something magic that happens in our communal tipi, particularly when we bring the gong in for a spontaneous sound bath during the treatments,” says Crosby.

“Our whole model of bringing together wonderful therapists has now been successful at WOMAD for ten years. We bring together awesome wellness

practitioners who wish to remain freelance and free-spirited. Interestingly, this level of flexibility is now even more highly valued by a whole new generation – it is how many therapists want to practice, yet still many spas do not recognise this.

“At Thirteen33 we help them to find this freedom as well as opportunities that they might not find on their own, allowing them to be part of a dynamic spa experience. Our therapists really enjoy coming together each year as the WOMAD Spa team to deliver wellbeing as a collective,” says Crosby.

One to watch

Thirteen33 is an innovative and dynamic company, creating imaginative and unique concepts that link people, products and guests to authentic wellness.

“As well as creating spas for many renowned festivals, we also connect therapists with spas looking for working holiday placements, and we source freelance trainers for brands seeking the right expertise. We also provide consultancy services for outdoor sustainable spa developments

Above: three red cedar hot tubs are operated by bathing specialist Bathing Under The Sky

Spa Spotlight WOMAD Spa by Thirteen33

Right from top: WOMAD has always been an inclusive, family-friendly festival; wellness brand Tea & Tonic provide wellbeing rituals for the pop-up spa; attendees gather under Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon installation

and businesses wanting to create unique wellbeing concepts within nature,” says Cornish. Looking to the future, the company’s co-founders are excited about taking WOMAD Spa from strength to further strength in response to growing demand. “We are doing what we love – bringing wellness services to events for people to enjoy. We are keeping therapists fulfilled, providing brands with new exposure routes and always focusing on the end result – the guest experience.” says Crosby. “Overcoming the flow of mini challenges gives us a buzz and the best feeling is seeing guests floating back off into the festival to soak up more fun. We know how important it is to rest and recharge and our guests come back year after year to do exactly that.”

SPA STATISTICS

WOMAD Spa www.womad.co.uk www.thirteen33.co.uk

Spa zones: Main spa tent with reception, chill-out area and wellness bar; spa treatment tent with nine treatment rooms; Sala yoga; 13 showers and 12 WCs Spa team: Three managers, 16 therapists and 60 spa hosts

Spa guests: 500 Starry Nights: Three red cedar hot tubs, cold plunge, cold shower and barrel sauna Spa partners: Bathing Under The Sky, Scrummi, Tea & Tonic, EthicaCBD, London Nootropics

Thirteen33 festival partners: HowTheLightGetsIn, Wales; The Pop-Up Hotel, Glastonbury, Somerset; Latitude, Norfolk; WOMAD, Wiltshire; Rock Oyster Festival, Cornwall; Soul Circus, Cotswolds 2022 statistics: Thirteen33 has delivered 60 treatment rooms, 250 booking system columns and 2,500 treatments this season

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SpaStyle

SHOWCASING STYLISH EQUIPMENT AND LEADING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY FOR YOUR SPA

Edited by Wendy Golledge

Said to be the first sea climate cabin for outdoor use, Soleum’s self-contained chamber offers halotherapy, thalassotherapy, infrared radiant heat and colour therapy. Available in three shapes – an oval Egg version, a round Omega chamber and a double-sized Ellipse chamber – spas can select from moist brine or dry salt-inhalation options. The inhalation technology in the chamber can also atomise tea extremely finely, enabling the cabin to be used as a Teedarium.

Made in Austria, the Sea Climate Chamber can be controlled remotely, allowing operators to check temperatures and energy consumption as required.

Coloured light emitted from the cabin ceiling and behind the benches can be customised via smart controls, as can the built-in sound system.

“The Soleum is completely self-contained and offers more than just a saline mist. It’s a hot experience with infrared heat; it can be a steam bath; and it even allows the user to inhale herbal tea mists like chamomile, sage, thyme or peppermint,” says Thomas Kiesenebner, designer and CEO of Soleum Spas.

Luxury editions of the Sea Climate Chamber, created in cooperation with Italian mosaic manufacturer SICIS, have hand-set mosaics and are available in more than 900 colours and designs. www.soleum.com

Soleum Health Spa Sea Climate Chamber

Soleum Spas

Engineered yoga mats

Liforme

Liforme’s eco-friendly yoga mats offer beautiful design alongside high-quality, non-toxic, planet-friendly materials and GripForMe technology to improve the users’ stability.

The specially-engineered top surface wicks away moisture from users hands, while a patented waterproof barrier layer prevents moisture from making its way through the top surface and into the rubber base, making it much more hygienic and easier to clean.

Liforme mats help to improve solo practice, thanks to an intuitive and physiology-based AlignForMe design, which works as a navigational tool. They are customisable to allow seamless integration into any spa or studio setting and mantras or personalised wording can be added to create mats unique to each business.

“Going to a spa is about taking care of your body and mind, so yoga is now an essential part of the spa offering,” says Liforme founder, James Armitage. www.liforme.com

Eco flip-flop initiative

BC SoftWear

Spa textiles and footwear supplier BC SoftWear is engaged in a number of initiatives to increase the sustainability of spas and the products they use.

The brand has removed all individual plastic packaging from its slippers and flip-flops, replacing it with either biodegradable bags or paper, as well as creating a plastic-free, 100% biodegradable coir-soled spa slipper made from all-natural fibres.

BC SoftWear has also launched a unique new recycling plan to tackle the spa ‘flip-flop mountain’, partnering with waste management organisation First Mile to recycle and repurpose discarded spa footwear.

“Flip-flops are an essential part of spas – we supply approximately three million pairs of footwear per year – but they’re also a significant contributor to needless plastic waste,” says founder and CEO, Barbara Cooke.

The company is piloting the new scheme with select properties from the Exclusive Hotels Collection. www.bcsoftwear.co.uk

PUTTING SUSTAINABILITY FIRST

Opatra Dome

Opatra

The Opatra Dome facial skin analyser measures the surface and subsurface of the skin using state-of-the-art digital imagery. Using RGB visible and PL polarised light along with UV spectrum imaging technology, AI and image analysis, it captures multispectral photos of the face, allowing therapists to identify fine lines and wrinkles, spots, texture, porphyrins, UV spots, moisture levels and pigmentation.

The device creates customised reports for use in client education and treatment planning, allowing spas to develop more targeted treatment programmes and track progress over time.

Opatra Dome can provide ten facial problem reports in only 25 seconds, and also predicts skin development over the next three to five years, allowing clients to see their ageing trends ahead of time. Spas can import custom products and treatments into the software with comprehensive suggestions and customised solutions. www.opatra.com

Twilight lantern

Warli

The ideal complement to outdoor treatment areas, spa gardens, terraces and swimming pools, Warli’s Twilight lantern is a portable luminous LED lantern made from stainless steel and blown opal glass, with fine handmade engravings.

Perfect for outdoor use, Twilight is enriched by satin colours with a corrugated effect in dark bronze, light grey, white and bordeaux. Available in three sizes, the lanterns offer eight hours of lighting at full power and are designed to automatically turn off at dawn.

Designer Paolo Zani says he chose to make the stylish lamps from glass and stainless steel due to their ability to resist atmospheric wear and tear.

“Twilight was born from a thought on how to bring light into outdoor spaces,” says Zani. “The light had to be a portable object that could decorate and illuminate different situations, for example a pool or humid areas such as the spa and hammam.”

www.warli.it

Finnish outdoor sauna Hetki

A maker of authentic Finnish outdoor saunas, Hetki delivers both ready-made, premium saunas and a customisable option whereby spas can select the colours, materials, type of benches, lighting and heater to suit their overall design concept. There is also the option to select either a traditional wooden or a glass-panel door as well as a double-glazed window.

The minimalistic Nordic design is made in Finland using traditional fine-grained logs and is transported ready to use. The frame of a Hetki sauna is built from spruce grown in northern Finland, where a short growing season due to the cold climate makes the timber dense, strong and long lasting. The timber is harvested from sustainably managed, certified forests.

Spas can select to have an electric heater that can be controlled remotely with a smartphone or tablet, a wall-mounted light or an atmospheric bench lamp as well as a heat-resistant sauna sound system www.hetkisauna.com

Sommerhuber Lounger One Plus

Sommerhuber

The ceramic heated Lounger One Plus from Austrian thermal specialist Sommerhuber is ergonomically designed with an organic aesthetic and delicate contours. The electrically heated surface can give off heat evenly over a number of hours and is available in 15 different glazes.

Made from the company’s own Heat Storing Ceramics that radiate warmth, variable temperature control allows for a recommended surface temperature of 34°C, which is known to soothe the autonomic nervous system through the upper layer of skin. The gentle ceramic radiant heat promotes relaxation and recovery.

With only two transverse joints, the Lounger One Plus is easy to clean and meets stringent post-pandemic hygiene requirements. A built-in USB port can be used to charge phones, laptops and reading devices, and the body and headrest can be colour-coordinated with the glaze to suit any spa’s decor. www.sommerhuber.com

www.ellisons.co.uk

Tilow and Kanna lighting

Tom Raffield

Originating in a workshop set in six acres of ancient woodland in Cornwall, Tom Raffield’s lighting designs are inspired by nature and hand-crafted using sustainable wood using a pioneering form of steam bending.

Raffield’s latest collections, the Tilow wall light and Kanna Drum Pendant, offer a timeless, natural way to illuminate the spa environment.

“Each piece we create has been on an experimental journey – individual, organic and carefully considered,” explains Raffield. “We source everything from sustainable woodlands and coupled with the low-energy steam bending technique it’s a very ecological process with little wastage.”

Since discovering the age-old technique of steam bending wood while studying for his degree in 3D Sustainability & Design, Raffield has become one of the world leaders in his craft, allowing him to create intricate curves and twists that mimic organic natural shapes.

Said to represent the first strong branch that is born from an oak tree, Tilow (pictured) is an arc of oak that grows up and out to create dramatic downlighting or an ambient soft atmosphere. Available in two sizes, Tilow can be tilted to direct beams of focused light in any required direction, and can be fitted with either an exposed bulb or a Tom Raffield lampshade. “A spa and wellness space should be populated by natural, organic forms and materials that bring biophilic design inside,” says Raffield. “The benefits of surrounding ourselves with nature are numerous, aiding relaxation, decreasing stress and even recuperating our physical and mental ability. Delivering spaces that keep this connection to nature in mind means people work better, live better and feel better.”

The Kanna Drum Pendant is an elegant tier of oak or walnut, the plywood inner structure of which supports a simple layer of timber, secured with brass screws to create a soft pool of downlight. www.tomraffield.com

Bust and back support

Majestic Towels

Majestic Towels’ wipeable Bust and Back Support with face hole offers the highest levels of hygiene to protect clients during treatments. Its unique design relieves pressure points on clients’ breasts when they’re laying on their front and also supports the alignment of the spine when they’re reclining on their back.

Produced from high-grade memory foam, the product moulds to each individual client’s body shape using weight and body temperature to ensure a perfect fit, then returns to its original shape after use. It eliminates the need for rolled towels to provide targeted support when a client is in a reclined position.

Meeting industry requirements for exemplary hygiene levels, the zipped wipe-clean cover is anti-fungal and antibacterial, incorporating technology that eliminates odours caused by yeast, fungus and bacteria.

Available in white and steel grey, additional covers can be purchased separately. www.majestictowels.co.uk

Every-body Attico weights

FAS Pendezza

Adding a touch of design flair to functional objects in the spa, the Every-Body collection of Attico hand weights (from 0.5 to 2kg) are inspired by the columns of classical architecture. Made using FSC-certified beech wood, the range would make a unique addition to gyms, studios or spa wellness spaces.

The gradation of different colours in each hand weight reflects the colour beech wood assumes in relation to its drying temperature – the higher the temperature, the darker the wood becomes.

Designed by Basaglia + Rota Nodari, the abstract sculptures can be complemented by the brand’s Persiano mat. Intended for either relaxing on after exercising or for decorating a spa terrace or garden, Persiano is characterised by eccentric graphics and trompe-l’oeil to blend with any room within the spa. www.faspendezza.it

PRODUCT DESIGN

spapartner@ellisons.co.uk

WellnessTrends

Edited by Mark Smith EDITOR’S PICK

More than liquid refreshment

Functional beverages are drinks or liquid foods marketed to highlight specific ingredients and their health benefits. They often have mood-boosting qualities due to content ranging from CBD, mushrooms and green tea to adaptogens such as ashwagandha and cordyceps.

According to Precedence Research, the global market for functional beverages was worth £110.3 billion

(€127.8 billion) in 2021 and is projected to increase to around £238.1 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of nine per cent from 2022 to 2030.

The spectrum of choice within this category for spa and wellness operators is vast, with options including dairy beverages, sports and performance drinks, energy shots, ready-to-drink teas, ‘smart’ drinks, fortified fruit juices, plant milks, CBD infusions and enhanced water.

We explore the growing market for functional and mood-boosting drinks, and how these can improve the guest experience and increase revenue in spas

EUROPEAN SPA SPOTLIGHTS THE LATEST GLOBAL WELLNESS MODALITIES AND DEVELOPMENTS

The power of tea

Adaptogen plants and mushrooms are among the newest ingredients to be used in functional beverages, increasingly being added to foods, supplements and drink formulations.

“Adaptogens tap into our central nervous system and help us adapt to combat stress, build stamina and resilience against stress,” says Sarah Strang, founder of Tea & Tonic. “They help regulate stress hormones to maintain a ‘normalised state’, preventing sudden spikes and falls in hormone release.”

Tea & Tonic features ashwagandha in its English Breakfast Bright Awakening Tea bringing the power of adaptogens into a daily tea drinking ritual.

“The market for functional drinks is growing, with new products such as adaptogenic coffee helping people conveniently add adaptogens to their daily diet,” says Zain Peer, co-founder at London Nootropics, which creates premium adaptogenic coffee blends. “There is also strong word-of-mouth as consumers share their experiences and benefits. Much as we saw a trend for CBD over the last few years, functional and mood-boosting drinks will soon become the norm.”

Dirtea is another growing brand that offers a range of products formulated with potent functional mushroom extract powders, coffees and cacao super blends, said to improve health and wellbeing.

The CBD contingent Elsewhere, Ethos has a range of CBD Teas created from organically grown hemp in Ireland; chilled drinks by Trip, founded in 2018, have 15mg of CBD; and Gibson’s Goodology blends its tea products with 25mg CBD.

Making great inroads into the spa market, OTO CBD boasts an award-winning selection of CBD bitters and seltzers in varieties such as Green Tea & Garden Mint, Orange & Chilli and Elderflower and Juniper flavours.

The opportunities for such functional wellness drinks in the spa market is seemingly limitless. “Adding a CBD or functional drink can create an immersive experience in the treatment room or enhance the spa day experience for guests,” says Helen Cain, head of spa at OTO CBD. “This builds value for money with treatment inclusions for the client and treats the longer-term goal of bringing balance to the body, maximising the benefits with CBD. It allows the time to step down after the treatment and the day and not rush back to everyday life.” www.teaandtonic.co.uk www. londonnootropics.com www. dirteaworld.com www. ethos-cbd.com www. drink-trip.com www. gibsonsgoodology.com www. otocbd.com

Inur develops broccoli seed supplement to aid skin and gut health

A natural skincare range formulated in Korea, Inur’s Revive supplement for skin and gut health contains broccoli seed extract and probiotics to help balance the skin barrier while supporting the gut microbiome. The capsules include a range of antioxidant vitamins A, C and E with hyaluronic acid, zinc, copper and selenium to help to protect against cell ageing.

Inur was created by Marion Assuied, former CEO of premium French beauty brand By Terry, and nutritionist Valérie Espinasse, who specialises in anti-ageing, phytotherapy and naturopathy. Espinasse has worked with the spa at Royal Mansour, Marrakech and Hôtel Lutetia in Paris to offer tailored nutritional consultation and programmes for a wide range of health conditions.

“Revive contains sulforaphane from broccoli seed extract – an antioxidant that supports cell integrity and protects against free-radical damage,” explains Valérie Espinasse. “It also eliminates toxins in the liver, which will result in less congested and clearer skin, free from impurities.”

The probiotic blend protects and balances the skin microbiome, offering the antioxidant properties of vitamins B1 and B2, proteins and galactomyces to maintain moisture and support the natural production of hyaluronic acid. www.inurbeauty.com

Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel opens sound therapy Swell Room

In a new partnership with Brian d’Souza, founder of sound healing brand Swell, and Hebridean skincare brand ishga, Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh has opened the UK’s first dedicated sound wellness facility, the Swell Room.

Recorded sounds of the sea, fields and natural wildlife from the Hebrides to Lake Geneva, Cape Verde and Lofoten in the Arctic Circle are combined with traditional sound treatment instruments including gongs and singing bowls, violins, Gaelic harps, bagpipes and vocals.

Guests can recline in an ISO Benessere chair to fully experience the room’s vibroacoustic delivery system, both hearing and feeling the sound. Tailored therapeutic techniques are designed to lower the heart rate, blood pressure and stress, while promoting bringing equilibrium to the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

“More and more people used music for relief and to help improve their mood during the pandemic, so it made perfect sense to ensure our guests can have a 360-degree therapeutic experience when visiting the Spa at Kimpton Charlotte Square”, says Finlay Anderson, area spa and leisure director, IHG. www.swellstudio.io | www.kimptoncharlottesquare.com

Mullion Cove launches dance-based wellbeing retreats in Cornwall

Mullion Cove, a coastal hotel and spa in Cornwall, UK has introduced a series of dance-based wellbeing retreats designed to improve fitness, mood, muscle strength, brain volume and longevity.

Teaming up with local dance and yoga specialist Golowi Wellbeing, dance will be combined with yoga, walking and cold-water swimming, with some sessions taking place outdoors to embrace the Cornish landscape and benefit from restorative sea views from the hotel’s cliff-top position.

Mullion Cove’s autumn dance breaks include Magic of the Musicals and Dirty Dancing.

“Since the opening of our spa in 2019, we have looked to extend our wellness offering, but we want to keep our connection to Cornwall with every step,” explains Daniel Thompson, hotel and spa general manager at Mullion Cove, “Golowi is a perfect partner for us in this respect.”

Each retreat will include a sea-facing yoga session and three skills-based dance workshops. Guests will also have full use of the hotel’s spa facilities, including treatments from Made for Life Organics and Voya. www.madeforlifeorganics.com | www.voya.ie www.mullion-cove.co.uk | www.golowi-wellbeing.com

Beckley Retreats offers psychedelic immersion in the Netherlands

Holistic wellbeing company Beckley Retreats has announced its first psilocybin retreat in Europe, taking place in the Netherlands. Based on decades of insights from the renowned Beckley Foundation, and under the leadership of its founder Amanda Feilding, the retreats combine world-class contemplative practices with the science-backed benefits of psilocybin to offer a comprehensive approach for people looking to make meaningful change in their lives.

“Our goal as a mission-oriented, conscious business is to improve accessibility to psilocybin. We keep our prices as competitive as possible and offer an innovative model that has longer-term benefits to healers and the community,” says Neil Markey, co-founder and CEO of Beckley Retreats.

The eleven-week programme includes pre and post-retreat preparation and support, as well as a five-day immersion in Holland, where using psilocybin truffles is legal. Beckley Retreats already runs a successful programme in Jamaica. Hosted in a safe and legal setting, the experience provides participants with the guided consumption of hallucinogenic fungi for therapeutic purposes. www.beckleyretreats.com

The Coach House Spa at Beaverbrook set

to

hold Druid autumn retreat

The Coach House Spa at Beaverbrook has expanded its calendar of transformational wellness experiences with a series of healing retreats exploring the power of nature.

Guided by experienced Celtic Druids Jo Dunbar and Adrian Rooke, guests will learn to deepen their relationship with themselves and promote healing through connection with specific trees and plants.

Featuring a combination of Druidic ritual, sacred singing, craftwork, traditional folk stories, open-hearted sharing and meditation, the day-long retreats will connect with the wisdom and energies of the woodland to help guests achieve a greater understanding of their life path.

Sessions begin with a Druid sacred circle before the therapeutic and sacred properties of trees are shared, and a guided meditation, group sharing, sacred singing and magical ritual work take place to form a deeper connection to the earth and one’s inner self.

Rooke will introduce the ancient ceremony of the Autumn Equinox, while Dunbar will share her knowledge on the healing power of herbs, demonstrating how to turn common garden plants, hedgerow herbs and kitchen spices into powerful home herbal medicines. www.beaverbrook.co.uk

Soho House Health Clubs partners with Koniver Wellness for IV infusions

Koniver Wellness has announced a new partnership to offer wellness services at all Soho House Health Clubs. Koniver at Soho Health Club launched its inaugural location at Shoreditch House, providing high performance IV medicine treatments to members and friends.

The innovative menu of therapies helps to boost longevity, recovery, focus, cognition and performance.

“By combining these nutrient infusions and injections into the community setting of each Soho House, we will greatly help move the needle for how wellness and optimisation moves forward,” says Dr Craig Koniver, co-founder of Koniver Wellness alongside Dr Keli Koniver.

The treatments include Quick Hydration; Vitamin Push; Glutathione Push 2400mg to boost immunity and liver function; Lipo B12 Booster Shot to burn fat and increase energy; and Vitamin D3 Booster Shot (50,000IU) to optimise immunity and balance hormones.

“We’re excited to offer this range of premium quality vitamin IV Drips to our members and friends, to enhance their mental and physical wellness,” says Michaela Hurst, Soho Health Club manager. www.sohohouse.com | www.koniverwellness.com www.cowshed.com

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